The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has temporarily pulled its bus fare enforcement teams from the streets while it investigates two separate incidents involving alleged misconduct by agents, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber announced Thursday.

The decision followed the circulation of video showing enforcement agents physically confronting Kyle Taylor, a dean at Mott Bridges Academy in Brooklyn, after questioning whether he had paid the $3 fare on a B14 bus in Brownsville. Taylor maintains that he used a transfer ticket from another bus.

Kyle Taylor, a dean at Mott Bridges Academy in Brownsville, said members of the MTA’s EAGLE fare enforcement unit stopped him on a B14 bus at Rockaway and Pitkin avenues around 6:40 a.m. on Oct. 6, demanding he prove he paid his fare. He said he had paid through a paper transfer ticket, which bus drivers have sometimes given to workers.

Video footage from a nearby shop shared by Taylor’s attorney appears to show Taylor struggling with the agents as they grabbed him and pinned him against the bus.

The footage shows the EAGLE team members slamming him against a bus shelter and knocking him to the ground until an NYPD officer came in to break up the commotion.

Taylor plans to sue the MTA. Representatives for the transit agency declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. https://t.co/6UYweCytfy

— Gothamist (@Gothamist) October 14, 2026

Footage shows agents pinning Taylor against the bus before taking him to the ground. He reportedly suffered injuries to his back, neck, shoulder, arm and elbow. The agents involved have been suspended pending the investigation.

The controversy intensified after an incident report stated that Taylor had fallen out of the bus and declined medical attention, claims that appear to conflict with the video. Taylor’s attorney, Benjamin Pinczewski, has called for the enforcement unit to be disbanded, arguing that its practices disproportionately affect people of color.

Lieber said the MTA had also learned of a second incident involving similar concerns about how confrontations were handled and reported. He expressed concern that senior agency officials were not informed promptly about either matter and ordered the teams to remain off the streets while safety procedures and reporting requirements are reviewed.

The EAGLE teams were established to check fares and issue penalties to riders who fail to pay. The MTA has defended the program as a way to address widespread fare evasion, which the agency says costs the transit system significant revenue.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office welcomed the suspension, emphasizing that New Yorkers should not have to fear for their safety over an inability to afford a bus fare.

The temporary shutdown leaves the future of the enforcement teams uncertain as the MTA investigates the incidents and considers whether changes to its procedures are necessary.