A police officer in Boston was arrested over the weekend for allegedly assaulting an Uber driver and stealing his vehicle after using racial slurs against the man.
The Boston Globe reports that 40-year-old Michael Doherty was charged with assault and battery and using a motor vehicle without authority for the incident which took place in South Boston early yesterday morning:
According to a police statement, an Uber driver told officers at about 2:45 a.m. that a passenger, later identified as Doherty, had assaulted him. The driver also said Doherty repeatedly used racial slurs during the encounter, according to a police report obtained by the Globe.
When the vehicle was on East Second Street, the driver reported, Doherty said they were in the wrong place and asked, What, you think I’m stupid, you [expletive], followed by a racist term for Latinos, the report said.
According to the Globe, Doherty began to strike the driver, eventually chasing him around the vehicle when he got out of it. The man flagged down another driver for assistance, but Doherty proceeded to steal his vehicle.
The driver jumped into the other man's car, chasing after Doherty until he stopped. The Globe adds that he approached the driver and the other man, asking the other civilian, "What do you want, you n*****?" He attacked the Uber driver once again and tried to walk away from responding police, but was ultimately arrested.
In addition to being banned from using Uber, Doherty—a 16-year veteran of the police force—has been placed on administrative leave by the Boston Police Department.
[via Boston Globe]
