Crime & Safety
Police Officer Apologizes to Attleboro Man After Waving Gun in His Face
Sgt. Henry Staines, upset at being filmed, harassed an Attleboro man at a crime scene in Roxbury.
A Boston police officer upset at being filmed at a crime scene apologized to an Attleboro man for waving a toy gun in his face.
The incident happened last month in Roxbury. Sgt. Henry Staines was caught on camera harassing an Attleboro man who filmed officers as they detained a teenager for carrying a toy gun. Staines can be seen waving the gun in the Attleboro man’s face—though the man didn’t know at the time that the gun was a toy.
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The man has withheld his name and asked to be identified as “Brother Lawrence” for fear of retaliation.
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On Friday, Staines and Brother Lawrence attended a meeting at the NAACP’s Boston office. Staines apologized to Lawrence, according to Boston Police Superintendent William Gross.
Gross condemned Staines’ behavior and reminded officers that the public has the right to film them on the streets as long as they don’t interfere.
“It’s a teachable moment,” Gross said during a news conference after the meeting last week.
Gross said Staines was frustrated over an increase in toy gun arrests in recent months, but emphasized it’s not excuse for his behavior.
Police said they are still investigating the incident.
The investigation was launched after the anti-police group CopBlock posted a video of the exchange on its website:
This is an edited transcript of the video:
Lawrence comes across about six police officers who have a teen on the ground in handcuffs in Roxbury. The teen reportedly was walking around with the airsoft pistol and someone in the neighborhood called police.
Staines sees the man filming and suddenly makes a beeline for him.
“Do you just like filming?” Staines asks.
“Yeah that’s it.” the man replies.
“You wanna jump in the cruiser with us some day?”
“Why you say that?”
“I don’t know. Just thought you might be interested in getting some real-life footage.”
“No...is anything wrong with this (filming)?”
“No. I always question when you’re taking a video of us. (Point at the camera.) Turn it that way, turn it that way. I’m not kidding. You don’t have permission to film me.”
“All I’m doing is filming.”
“Where do you live?
“Attleboro.”
“Nothing like that goes down in Attleboro?”
“I’m here giving my condolences to a friend who just died.”
“Pass along mine too,” Staines says, storming off to the crime scene.
About 10 seconds later, Staines shouts at the man and holds up the pistol.
“See this? No, don’t put the video down. Put it up. This is why we’re here. (Holding gun.)
“Get an up-close video of this. See that? See that? (Shoving gun inches from the man‘s face.) That’s why we’re here. Have a good day.”
“OK, thank you.”
The teen in handcuffs can be seen standing up. Staines then shouts at the man, “He’s not a consenting adult. He’s only a juvenile. He doesn’t appreciate you filming him.”
That’s where the video ends.
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