The Bear writer handcuffed on train after dispute over how he was sitting

Alex O’Keefe, who is Black, said he was removed by police after white woman complained about him to the conductor

A one-time writer for FX’s hit show The Bear was taken off a New York City commuter train in handcuffs after a dispute with a passenger over how he was sitting – an incident he recorded in a video shared widely on social media.

Alex O’Keefe, who is Black, said in an Instagram post that he was headed to Connecticut on a Metro-North train on Thursday when he was removed by police after a white woman complained to a conductor about the way he was sitting.

Responding to questions about O’Keefe’s video, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said security video showed he had been sitting with both legs stretched across an adjacent seat – a violation of the rail line’s rules. The MTA said a conductor called police after the passenger refused to move his legs.

Police briefly held the train at a station in the Bronx at about 10.30am. The MTA said officers handcuffed O’Keefe after he refused to exit the train. O’Keefe recorded part of the interaction.