MESA — It started with a question about a $2 light-rail fare and ended with Mesa police pepper-spraying, punching, and using a Taser on a passenger. Now that passenger is coming forward, saying officers went overboard with their use of force.
Officers with the Mesa Police Department Bike Squad boarded light-rail trains near Main Street and Country Club Drive on Feb. 20, 2026. They were looking for fare dodgers.
As officers questioned a 16-year-old passenger about whether the teen had paid the $2 fare, other officers entered the rail car where Aaron Goodson was riding…