Multiple CATS guards under fire, after being caught on video dragging a man from the BlueLine

CHARLOTTE — Three security guards with the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) are on the verge of being fired after they were caught on video dragging a man with a prosthetic leg away from the Blue Line in Uptown and then leaving him on the ground.

The guards are in trouble, because at no point during the interaction did they see if the man needed medical attention. During the summer, CATS replaced its security companies. One of its new contractors is Strategic Security Corp.

“Yeah it’s better I feel safe when I’m on there,” Jessica Mickerson, a passenger, said.

But this week, officers from Strategic were involved in a controversial situation that was caught on camera. In the video, you can see a man sitting on a bench, playing with his dog when he flipped backward off the bench and onto the ground.

According to CATS, responding security assumed he was drunk. In the video, viewers can see a large effort from security trying to get him back onto the bench.

For more than 10 minutes, officers were speaking with the man and encouraging him to leave. Eventually, the man took off his prosthetic leg and tossed it in the direction of the guards, after that, officers dragged him off of the platform.

In certain angles of the video, you can see officers dragging the man by his shirt, which was pulled over his face, and then the officers leave him there.

Emerson Law, a passenger, said she believes more thought should have been put into how to handle the situation, especially with the state the man was found in.

“I think when someone is inebriated or has some form of mental illness situations like that should be handled with way more care,” Law said.

CATS agrees that the situation wasn’t held properly and shared this statement after the incident:

“The manner in which the security guard handled the removal did not adhere to CATS standards or procedures, nor did it align with the contractor’s guidelines...Upon review of the incident, the contractor relieved the three guards of their duties and recommended their termination. Additionally, all guards who witnessed the incident faced disciplinary action and will undergo additional training. CATS supports and endorses decisions made by the contractor.”

“I don’t think that was appropriate so they just left him there, I don’t think that’s appropriate at all,” Law added.

CATS told Channel 9 that the man did eventually walk away. The transit center explained that the proper protocol would have been for the guard to get the man medical assistance.

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