A veteran Boston-area police detective is under investigation after video surfaced of him threatening to “put a hole” in a motorist’s head after a minor traffic infraction.
The driver, identified only as a software designer named Mike, said he had gotten lost and went the wrong way through an unfamiliar traffic circle in Medford, Massachusetts, on Sunday evening moments before the incident occurred.
Video footage recorded by a camera he had installed on his dashboard shows the man being cut off by a red pickup truck and its driver, Medford Police Detective Stephen Leber, exiting the vehicle and approaching him.
Unaware that he’s being confronted by an off-duty detective, Mike backs his vehicle up as the detective, clad in cargo shorts and a white tank top, reaches for his badge.
“I’ll put a hole right through your f——-g head,” the detective is heard saying twice.
“I didn’t know you were a cop,” responds the driver.
“I’m a f——-g Medford detective. And you went through that f——-g rotary,” the detective fires back.
The dashboard camera recorded more than seven minutes of the exchange between the driver and several law enforcement officials, including Detective Lebert telling the driver, “You’re lucky I’m a … cop, ’cause I’d be beating the [expletive] out of you right now.”
Medford Police Chief Leo Sacco told Boston.com that Detective Lebert, a 30-year veteran, is now on administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation.
“He’s a very effective police officer but last night’s incident that’s on video, at least that portion of the video that I saw, is troubling to say the least,” Chief Sacco said.
The video, which was posted on YouTube, was viewed more than 110,000 times in two days.
A second video has since surfaced showing the detective acting hostile toward a motorist during a 2012 incident. Chief Sacco told Boston.com the detective had been counseled after that incident on how to “act accordingly.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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