An off-duty Connecticut cop was charged with breach of peace and 3rd-degree assault after punching a driver in traffic for honking at him at a red light.
Video footage of the incident showed the law enforcement personnel threatening to ticket the driver. The video was taken from dashcam footage of the company van of the driver, identified as Thomas Brocuglio.
Off-Duty Police Punches Driver
In the footage, Meriden Police Department Corporal Allen Ganter stopped at a red light in Rocky Hill in December last year. The 37-year-old driver had his dog riding shotgun with him as he pulled up behind the off-duty police officer and waited for him to make a right turn on a red light.
While honking his horn, Brocuglio yelled and asked the police officer in front of him, "What are you doing?" Then, the 57-year-old cop exited his Toyota Tacoma as he was seen wearing gym shorts and a zip-up hoodie. He waved his badge as he was approaching the driver's vehicle, according to the New York Post.
The 20-year veteran of the Meriden Police Department then shouted at Brocuglio, saying that he cannot take a right turn on that particular red light. In response, the driver pointed to a sign that read, "Stop here on red," and noted that it did not read, "No turn on red." He then accused the off-duty police officer of being on his phone and not paying attention to traffic.
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Brocuglio said that he saw the off-duty cop looking down and doing something inside of his car. The police officer answered by saying that he was only moving something inside his bag and the back-and-forth banter between the two individuals started to heat up.
Ganter then threatened to serve Brocuglio a ticket and that he would call his "supervisor" for honking at him. The driver then asked the off-duty cop for his badge number, suggesting that he planned to file a complaint. This was when the officer could be seen reaching into Brocuglio's car, punching him in the side of the face.
Violent Altercation
During the violent moment, Ganter could be heard saying, "F****ng as***le. Who do you think you are f*****ng with? Do you want to get arrested?" The driver then responded by saying that the officer could get arrested for assaulting a civilian, said the Daily Mail.
After the altercation, Brocuglio called 911 and said that he was assaulted by a police officer, telling them that Ganter punched him through his car's window. Rocky Hill Police later contacted Ganter and talked to him outside of his home.
Body camera footage showed that he asked the officers who visited him if he could press charges against Brocuglio. Video footage showed him asking, "Is her pressing charges against me like for breach because I yelled at him and stuff?"
The responding officer then told Ganter that Brocuglio was pressing charges for assault and added that the encounter was caught on video. The Connecticut officer then admitted to hitting the driver and said that it was his fault.
Meriden police also suspended Ganter for five days without pay and he was reassigned following an internal investigation. He later told internal affairs officers that the incident was one of the moments of "plain stupidity" on his part, said the New York Daily News.
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