Race Debate Reignites After Off-Duty Cop Draws Gun On Unarmed Men

BROOKLINE, MA — Police are reviewing an incident that took place Wednesday evening that ended with multiple people calling police about a white man — who was later revealed to be an off-duty Brookline officer — pointing a gun at black man in Chestnut Hill.

The officer has been identified as someone who has been with the department since 2015, police confirmed. He told authorities he had chased down and handcuffed the two men after their BMW crashed into his truck on Route 9 and took off. The driver told police he was merely looking for a spot to pull over on the busy road.

A crash report did not mention why a gun was drawn.

"This matter, as with all use of force reports gets reviewed by Lt. [Paul] Campbell," said Lt. Phil Harrington of the Brookline Police Department. Campbell is the officer in charge of internal affairs. The internal affairs report will be sealed, police said.

Calls came into the police department just after 4 p.m. describing a white man pointing a gun at a black man who had his hands up on Route 9. State Police, who were the first to arrive, handcuffed at least one of the two black men who were now sitting on the side of the road. The officer's truck was nearby and a BMW pulled over in the left lane, as traffic edged by.

The off-duty officer, who is white, later told police he'd chased them down because they'd crashed into his car. The driver, meanwhile, said he was just looking for a place to pull over.

It's unclear if the officer ever saw the faces of the people in the car since he came up behind them. The incident comes amid a national conversation about the perception of racism within police departments. Brookline has recently made headlines for race relations within its own department.

>>>Previously: Man Points Gun At Another In Chestnut Hill Incident

>>> What a witness told Patch: Man, Hands Up, Asked Person Nearby To Call 911: Witness

The Brookline Police Department has been fighting litigation regarding alleged incidents of racial harassing between a black officer and at least one other officer. Two black police officers came forward claiming that the department had some officers who directed racist remarks at them. One later recanted his account, apologized and settled with the Town.

Brookline has worked to address implicit bias within the department, leading the way by instituting a number of racial bias trainings. It was featured in a New York Times article that noted the department was making strides when it came to trying new ways to educate officers about implicit bias.

>> Does race matter here? Yes, one expert told Patch, but maybe not the way you might expect.

According to the crash report:

An off-duty officer was driving down Route 9 West near Norfolk Street when a BMW allegedly swerved into his lane, hitting the passenger side of his truck. The officer began to pull to the side of the road to exchange paperwork with the BMW driver, but the driver took off instead, the off-duty officer told other responding police officers.

The off-duty officer then pulled back into heavy traffic to follow the BMW to the intersection of Boylston and Hammond streets where the BMW allegedly drove through the intersection on the red light, nearly striking pedestrians. When he caught up to the BMW, the off-duty officer got out of his truck and stopped the BMW as if it were a traffic stop. He then drew his personal firearm, according to the report.

The off-duty officer told the two men in the car he was a police officer, and told them to get out of the car.

State Police were the first to arrive after multiple calls came in describing a white man pointing a gun at a black man who had his hands up on Boylston Street.

Witnesses described the person with the gun as a white man with blonde hair wearing a dark shirt and sunglasses. The man he was allegedly pointing his gun at was described as a shirtless black man with black pants.

Police said they arrived at 4:07 p.m. to find two men handcuffed sitting by the side of the road with the off-duty officer.

In addition to at least one State Police officer who happened to be nearby, at least eight Brookline Police officers responded, backing up traffic for some time on that stretch.

The BMW driver later admitted to police that he was in an accident with the truck as the off-duty officer had described, according to the report. But the man, who was not named because he was not arrested, told police he was looking for a place to pull over and that's why he kept going.

What's next?

According to the report, police cited him with leaving the scene of an accident, failing to yield for pedestrians at a crosswalk and failing to stop for a red light, saying that heading through the red light and only pulling over in the left lane a quarter of a mile down the road, lead them to believe he wasn't planning on stopping.

That driver was summonsed to court and the officer was permitted to return to work as the investigation gets underway, police said.

"Because this is an off-duty officer who is involved, the incident is being reviewed by our office of professional responsibility," Harrington told Patch.

Brookline Town Administrator Mel Kleckner told Patch he and town officials were aware of the incident but would defer any comment until the investigation was completed.

Although Select Board Chairman Neil Wishinsky also said he wouldn't comment on the ongoing investigation, when asked about the current race relations climate in Brookline he said the town has been working on it.

"We’re as sensitive as ever. We have to be very mindful of it, especially given what’s going on nationally,” he said.

Is there a policy for that?

Police officers are not supposed to use their personal cars for motor vehicle stops, or really, most other minor violations, according to the Brookline Police Department's policies and procedures.

There are a couple of exceptions if the off-duty officers are not personally involved in the incident and the arresting officer makes sure to identify themselves.

The policy even outlines how an off-duty officer who sees a traffic violation and wants to report it can do so: By jotting down the car in question's registration number, and issuing a citation in line with department procedures.

Previously: Man Points Gun At Another In Chestnut Hill Incident

Also read:

>>> What a witness told Patch: Man, Hands Up, Asked Person Nearby To Call 911

>> Letter To Editor: Off Duty Officer Points Gun Story Inflammatory

• Brookline Police Officers File New Lawsuit Alleging Racial Bias
• Brookline Cops Alleging Racial Bias Denied Paid Leave
• Former Firefighter's Racism Case Against Brookline Edges

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Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).

File photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch