I agree, but you have to acknowledge that he wasn’t just trying to get a free ride, he was armed with a knife. I think that warrants some kind of response from the police. It doesn’t warrant them opening fire and injuring bystanders, of course.

The cops tried to taze him and generally escalated the situation over, again, $3. He didn't pull the knife until after that. He had a knife, yes, but the cops were the ones responsible for turning it violent. There's no need for that over a $3 fare.