It’s been six days since video of a white woman trying to take a rented Citi Bike from a group of young Black men went viral, and the saga continues. On Thursday, her lawyer hit back saying he had receipts…literally.
Justin Marino, attorney for the since-nicknamed “Citi Bike Karen,” provided “two Citi Bike receipts from May 12, which were timestamped just minutes apart.”
Article continues after video.
Based on receipts reviewed by Insider, “[t]he Citi Bike identification number in the viral video is the same as the one on the receipt and the location matches the view seen in the video.”
The second receipt “shows another bike being taken out a minute later from the same docking station and was the bike Marino said his client used to get home after being ‘heckled and pressured to find a new bike’ by the group,” according to the New York Post.
Marino claims that the six-month pregnant physician’s assistant paid to rent a bike “which no individuals were on or touching;” but as she was trying to leave, the woman was allegedly met by the group shown in the video. “One or more individuals in that group physically pushed her bike (with her on it) back into the docking station, causing it to re-lock,” and then proceeded to block her from re-scanning the code which would allow her to re-rent the bike.
“In blocking the QR code, this individual’s arm was touching my client’s pregnant stomach, a condition of which she had made them aware,” said Marino. “Throughout this time and for the remainder of the video, roughly five individuals were telling her to get off the bike and heckling her,” adding “The fact that anyone would treat another person like this is tragic, especially a visibly pregnant woman.”
Ben Crump, renowned civil rights attorney said she “tried to weaponize her tears to paint this man as a threat” While Marino depicted his client as a “hero” who worked in the healthcare industry throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, who spent her “her entire life…focused on helping others, irrespective of their background.”
After the incident, her employer, NYC Health + Hospitals, released a statement reading in part: “We are aware of the video involving a health care provider off-duty and away from the hospital campus. The incident in the video is disturbing. The provider is currently out on leave and will remain on leave pending a review. As a health system, we are committed to providing an environment for our patients and staff that is free from discrimination of any kind.”
But Marino believes this is unjust, stating “Everyone who’s accused her of a crime of stealing the bike – it’s outrageous, and it doesn’t make any sense.”
