Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez issued an apology Thursday to an 82-year-old woman who was pulled from a Metrorail train in Miami last month.
The incident happened on Feb. 20, when Emma Anderson was asked by a security guard to stop singing while on the train, according to her son Donald Anderson.
When she refused to stop, the guard started asking her to leave, but she refused. Video of the incident showed that the guard then grabbed her belongings, he and Anderson started struggling, and he pulled her so hard out of the train that she fell.
“We are sorry that this incident occurred and apologize to Mrs. Anderson. The situation should have been handled with more care and common sense,” Gimenez said in a statement. “We have made it clear to all County employees and contractors that our patrons must be treated with dignity and respect. We are in the process of reviewing our policies and procedures to ensure special consideration is taken when dealing with the elderly and people with special needs.”
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Donald Anderson spoke out about the incident Thursday.
“The film itself proved that she was totally amazed at them trying to (eject) her from the train for singing spiritual songs,” he said.
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The family contacted Miami-Dade Police on the day of the incident, and has hired attorney Al Carbonell to examine all possible options. Emma Anderson and her lawyer will discuss the case in a press conference Friday at 10 a.m.
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