TWU Mourns Station Agent Darryl Goodwin, 54 | TWU Local 100

3.9.17

TWU Mourns Station Agent Darryl Goodwin, 54 | TWU Local 100 - AUGUST 16 - It is with great sadness that TWU Local 100 announces the death of Darryl Goodwin, the Station Agent who was unjustly arrested by police and suspended by MTA bosses in May. The union and Goodwin’s family will take whatever steps are necessary to have Goodwin’s good name cleared posthumously, Vice President of Stations Derick Echevarria said. The family did not immediately reveal the cause of Goodwin’s death but he did have high blood pressure and other health issues, Echevarria said. Funeral arrangements are pending. “We believe this unwarranted arrest had an underlying affect on his demise,” Echevarria said. “Darryl was stressed out and working a lot of overtime to recover the wages he lost. He never should have been arrested.” Echevarria, who knew Goodwin, 54, since high school, described him as a “gentle giant.” “He was a big guy but a really nice guy,” Echevarria said. “Our hearts are broken.” Goodwin was working at the 59th St./Columbus Circle station when a suspected shoplifter fleeing a store above ground jumped the turnstile, police said. Lt. Richard Khalaf of Midtown North said in a police complaint that his pursuit was thwarted because Goodwin twice refused to buzz him through a service gate – a charge Goodwin adamantly denied. Goodwin said that he remotely opened the gate from the booth as soon as he became aware of the situation in the busy station. As police were arresting Goodwin at the booth for obstructing governmental administration, officers said he resisted. Police said Lt. Khalaf’s finger was cut when Goodwin wrested his Station Agent’s badge back from the officer’s hand. Police also charged Goodwin with assault and resisting arrest. Another Station Agent in the booth denied the police officers’ version of events. “I witness [sic] the cop snatch the badge out of Mr. Goodwin’s hand and cut himself!” the Station Agent wrote in a statement to NYC Transit. “Mr. Goodwin never resisted arrest! He complied with everything the officer asked him to do.” The police complaint states that it was “impossible” for Khalaf to pursue the shoplifter without being buzzed through the service gate even though police officers are issued MetroCards for emergencies. In a Facebook exchange, an officer identifying himself as Khalaf said he couldn’t jump the turnstile. You can read that post here. “I’m also 50 and might be able to scale the turnstile but might have busted my ass in doing so. Recovery time ain’t what it used to be.” NYC Transit suspended Goodwin without pay after his arrest. Goodwin settled disciplinary charges by accepting a penalty of approximately 60 days without pay, Echevarria said.