WARNING: This post contains language that may offend. Discretion is advised.
A Philadelphia police officer’s questionable conduct has drawn the anger of the police commissioner after it was caught on camera by one motorist and posted online shortly thereafter, where it quickly drew outrage from the local community.
Video shot on Thursday shows a Philadelphia driver, who refused to be identified by local media, being pulled over by Officer Matthew Zagursky, 32, a nine-year-veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department.
“You and your friend got any money to buy these Thrill Show tickets? Support your police department. Ten bucks each, man,” Officer Zagursky asks as he leans through the driver-side window. Then he makes his threat.
“Either you buy these, or I take your car, because it’s unregistered.”
The “Thrill Show” is a reference to the Philadelphia PD Hero Thrill Show, an annual fundraising event for local law enforcement and emergency responders which primarily features a motorcycle demonstration by patrol officers.
At $10 a ticket, the officer demands $30 dollars: two for the two men in the car, and one for the driver’s “sweetheart.” When the driver complains about having to buy the third ticket, Officer Zagursky begins making homophobic jokes.
“Looks like you want to look like two fruitcakes,” Zagursky says. Then a short while later, he presses again.
“What’s up with the f–got a– wipers?” he asks.
“Breast cancer, man. My grandma went through it,” the driver responds.
“You can support breast cancer in other ways that don’t make you look like a fruitcake,” Zagursky says.
The video has exploded since it was posted by the Facebook user “Rob Stay Faded” last Friday.
Since then, the man spoke with the local CBS affiliate but declined to show his face or offer his real name for fear of police retribution.
“He was disrespectful,” the man told CBS News. “A lot of cops I run into are disrespectful, and a lot of them are good.”
The videos have since come to the attention of the Philadelphia police commissioner, who says he is not happy.
“No part of that video is good. It’s just bad all the way around,” Commissioner Charles Ramsey told Philly.com. “He used the tickets as a lever to not do his duty; that’s extortion. Whether or not it’s criminal is a decision above my pay grade.”
Local media reports that Zagursky has been pulled from active duty and placed on administrative leave as Internal Affairs investigates the video. It’s possible he could face criminal charges.
In the meantime, organizers of the Thrill Ride, which raises money to pay for the college tuition of fallen first responders, are working to distance themselves from his actions.
“That’s just not how we sell tickets,” said lawyer Jimmy Binna, who has organized the ride for the past 10 years. “Fifty-five thousand people attend each year, and I can guarantee you that not one was extorted to buy their ticket.”
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