Darien Police Give More Info on Questioning of Black Man on Bike: Update

DARIEN, CT — A police officer's stop of a black man on a bike in Darien has drawn criticism, while a town official defended the officer, saying his behavior appeared to be professional and was part of a larger neighborhood canvas.

YouTube user Matthew McGee posted the video July 17, and it has since gotten more than 50,000 views.
The man was stopped while riding his bicycle in town. An officer said that there was a string of burglaries in town and asked the man if he saw anything of note.

Officers were informed of a reported burglary 15 minutes before the man was stopped on his bike, said Sgt. Jeremiah Marron, police spokesman. Police are still working to figure out when exactly the burglary occurred.

Marron said Monday that police had a suspect in mind that may have also perpetrated a burglary over 4th of July weekend as well as some 2014 burglaries. Police received information that the suspect worked with a partner and the man who was stopped on the bike had a "very similar" description as the partner.

The suspect has since been taken into custody by federal authorities and was charged with transporting property across state lines.

The man in the video told the officer he is a cook at Tokeneke Country Club.The Tokeneke area of town was hit with at least three burglaries recently, and police believe they may be related.
An excerpt from near the beginning of the conversation:
Officer: "I appreciate your cooperation, so did you see anything in the area?"
Man: "I ain't seen nothing in the area, I'm just going to work."
Officer: "Are you upset or something?"
Man: "Yes I'm really, kind of upset."
The officer then walked back to her patrol car and another patrol car pulled up behind hers.

"Down the street from my job, this is what I go through," the man later said on video to himself.
"I'm safer in Bridgeport, I'm safer in the hood," he said.
First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said the stop was part of a large neighborhood canvas about burglaries in the area and spoke to many people in the area, according to the Darien News. The man who said he rides his bike to work often may have seen something out of place, she said.
She said from the video it appears the officer was professional during the interaction.
Watch the video below.