The man who was caught on video beating up a woman's boyfriend after the two had engaged in a spirited verbal argument over subway etiquette has been arrested. Patrick Crow, 34, turned himself into police in the Bronx over a week after the subway brawl video was passed around the internet. He has been charged with misdemeanor assault, harassment and menacing.
The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. on January 20th on a northbound 5 train at the Jackson Avenue station. Crow got into an argument with fellow straphanger Queen Muhammad over a seat—Muhammad claimed that Crow was manspreading but she tried to sit down anyway, and both allegedly started elbowing each other, which led to more passive-aggressive leg spreading.
The tension boiled over, and Crow claims Muhammad spit in his face. In turn, Crow admitted he beat Muhammad's husband, Tesfa Walters. "I didn't want to do it, I was provoked," Crow told the News earlier this week. He ended up losing his job as a tax preparer for Jackson Hewitt because of the viral video, which he very much regrets: "I was in a different mind frame at that point. I should have been a bigger person and moved off to another side. She took me out of my character."
Muhammed, whom relatives say has a temper and has been known to start fights, hasn't expressed as much remorse: "This manspread thing is getting out of control," she said. "I was embarrassed but now I'm quite happy that this video came out and I hope that men are willing to respect women on the subway and buses more."
