A dashcam video has gone viral after it recorded an off-duty Massachusetts police officer threatening to kill a lost driver for driving in the wrong direction on a one-way road.
Uploaded on Sunday, the video already has over 129,000 views on YouTube.
A 25-year-old software designer who calls himself Michael said he was lost after taking a wrong turn and started driving in the wrong direction on the one-way road before realizing his mistake. He said he tried to get out onto the correct road when he realized there was a truck following closely behind with his high beams on.
In the video, Michael pulls over only to realize that the man in the truck was off-duty Medford Detective Stephen Lebert.
Shockingly, the dashcam recorded Lebert threatening to kill Michael.
“I’ll put a hole right through your head,” he says. “You’re lucky I’m a cop because I’d be beating the f—ing p–s out of you!”
Even after informing the detective that he was being recorded, the detective continues to berate the driver.
Michael claims that he was afraid for his life and thought that Lebert would pull out his gun and shoot him.
According to the Medford Police Chief Leo Saco, Lebert, a 30 year veteran of the force, was placed on administrative leave on Monday.
“There’s concerns about that comment and what those exact comments were, but the fact of the matter is, you’re a police officer,” Saco told CBS. “Even if you’re off duty, you’re really on duty 24 hours a day.”
Michael said that after this incident, he feels that he cannot go to the police to report bad behaviour from their officers.
“I can’t call the cops because if they’re the ones committing the crimes, then what am I supposed to do?”
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