Update, 3:45 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11: BART's top official, General Manager Robert Powers, issued a public apology Monday to a man detained and handcuffed last week after one of the transit agency's police officers spotted him eating a sandwich on a train platform.

The Nov. 4 incident sparked a social media backlash against BART and prompted at least one "eat-in" protest in response.

Powers said in his statement that although eating in BART's paid areas is banned that he was "disappointed" in how the encounter between Officer D. McCormick and passenger Steve Foster unfolded.

"The officer was doing his job but context is key," Powers' statement said. "Enforcement of infractions such as eating and drinking inside our paid area should not be used to prevent us from delivering on our mission to provide safe, reliable, and clean transportation. We have to read each situation and allow people to get where they are going on time and safely. ... I apologize to Mr. Foster, our riders, employees, and the public who have had an emotional reaction to the video.

Original post, updated 12:40 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10