Judge tosses summons for former 'The Bear' writer Alex O'Keefe after NYC train incident

Writer Alex O’Keefe, whom constabulary detained past period successful a viral seating quality connected a New York City train, is disconnected the hook for alleged disorderly conduct.

A New York City administrative justice dismissed a civilian summons against erstwhile “The Bear” writer O’Keefe connected Tuesday, ending its lawsuit against him. O’Keefe informed his Instagram followers that “the charges against maine were dismissed” and “deemed by the justice facially insufficient.”

“That’s legal-ese for [‘BS’],” O’Keefe says successful the video arsenic helium stands extracurricular the courthouse. “They ne'er had thing connected maine ... they were trying to marque an illustration of me.”

O’Keefe lawyer Lindsay Lewis said successful a Wednesday connection that the writer’s ineligible squad “commends the Court for reaching the lone conscionable and close effect based connected the instrumentality — a implicit dismissal of the case.”

Last month, O’Keefe uploaded videos of the Sept. 18 incidental to Instagram. He documented MTA constabulary successful New York placing him successful handcuffs for alleged disorderly conduct. In the caption of his post, the speechwriter — who is Black — alleged that officials detained him connected a bid aft an “old achromatic woman” complained astir however helium was sitting. He claimed the pistillate took contented with the “one Black idiosyncratic connected the train.”

The MTA Police Department confirmed it responded to a “report of a disorderly passenger” astatine the Fordham Metro-North presumption successful the Bronx. A conductor reported that a 31-year-old rider occupied 2 seats and “refused to region his feet from 1 of the seats.”

Police accused O’Keefe of placing some his legs crossed an adjacent seat, violating the obstruction line’s rules. They besides accused him of refusing constabulary directions to exit the bid onto the level and to committee a pursuing train. O’Keefe delayed work “for respective 100 different riders for six minutes,” constabulary alleged, and was handcuffed and removed from the train.

In his Instagram station astir the incident, O’Keefe alleged that a person of the pistillate who scolded his mode of sitting told him, “You’re not the number anymore.” He added that constabulary “arrested” him without “even talking to the Karen who reported the 1 Black idiosyncratic connected the train” and that lone different Black passengers recorded the dispute.

Police refuted that and said O’Keefe “was not placed nether apprehension astatine immoderate time” during the incident.

O’Keefe doubled down connected his erstwhile denials of wrongdoing successful a connection shared Tuesday, writing, “I was harassed and detained for sitting portion Black.

“Today, the tribunal made a wide judgement: I did thing amerciable connected September 18. Like millions of New Yorkers, I was going to enactment to gain a surviving and enactment my family,” helium added. “Even though this absurd lawsuit was dismissed today, I volition proceed to support the civilian rights of each New Yorker. Every idiosyncratic has a close to a harmless commute.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.