SEPTA Officer Charged With Assault After Tasering Passenger: DA

Philadelphia PA

27 December, 2021

4:39 PM

Description

PHILADELPHIA — A SEPTA Transit Police Officer has been charged with assault, official oppression, and related crimes after authorities said he used a Taser on an unarmed passenger in April this year. The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said Floyd Whitaker, 59, of Laurel Springs, New Jersey, has been charged with simple assault, unlawful use of an incapacitation device, recklessly endangering another person, and official oppression in connection with an early morning April incident. According to authorities, at approximately 4 a.m. on April 12, a SEPTA driver called for help with a disruptive passenger who refused to exit the bus at Frankford Transportation Center. Whitaker responded to the scene, and is accused of discharging his Taser into the passenger and then shocked the Taser several times without letting the passenger comply with commands to get off the bus. SEPTA Police Internal Affairs launched an investigation into the incident, which led to a warrants for Whitaker's arrest. "I want to thank the SEPTA Transit Police for their work in this investigation, and for helping to ensure that accountability for serious and violent crime applies to everyone," District Attorney Larry Krasner said. "Any incident in which violent force is used by law enforcement against a civilian should be carefully reviewed to ensure integrity within the criminal justice system. My office continues to work with our partners in law enforcement to seek accountability for serious and violent crime, and to build trust with members of the public we serve every day."