NYPD detective verbally assaults Uber driver on video
New York City's police review board is expected to hear a complaint against NYPD Detective Patrick Cherry, who is accused of verbally abusing an Uber driver.
The Uber driver said he honked his horn when the detective, who was driving an unmarked car, failed to signal that he was pulling over. Over the next few minutes, the detective, who CBS News has confirmed was Cherry, read the driver the riot act in a road rage soliloquy, and one of the passengers captured the incident on video, CBS News' Anna Werner reports.
Cherry, assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, lashed out Monday afternoon.
Cherry: "Do you understand me? Do you understand me?"
Driver: "Yes, I understand."
Cherry: "OK. So stop it with your mouth. Stop it with your 'for what, sir? For what, sir?' Stop it with that bulls--t."
Cherry: "OK? Do you understand me? I don't know what f--king planet you think you're on right now."
Driver: "I'm not planning, sir, I'm here."
Officer: "Planning? I said planet."
The Uber driver tried to explain why he honked his horn at him.
"I don't care what you have to say! Do you understand that?" the officer said.
He asked the Uber driver how long he'd been living in the U.S., to which the driver replied, "almost two years."
"Two years. I got news for you, and use this lesson. Remember this in the future: Don't ever do that again," the officer responded.
In a statement to "CBS This Morning," the NYPD said in part, "We referred the matter to the NYPD Internal Affairs," and noted that the detective "was on duty at the time of the incident."
"Wrong place, wrong time, wrong event, to be on videotape, you know, looking like you're abusing a civilian," retired NYPD Sgt. Joseph Giacalone said.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said there is no place for a public servant to use "discriminatory or negative language."
"If you have the mentality that you're always on tape as a police officer, you're going to perform better, and you're going to act better. It's as simple as that," Giacalone said.
Last June, an Illinois State Police officer pulled over a trucker for honking his horn.
Officer: "When you use your horn when there's no good reason to..."
Trucker: "There was a good reason to. You were speeding. It's wet roads. You were speeding with a cell phone in your hand."
Officer: "You're going to get a ticket for unlawful use of horn."
Trucker: "By the way, you are being recorded."
Minutes later, with the camera still on him, the officer returned to the big rig, ticket-free.
"I understand you using the horn; you saw me speeding. I honestly wasn't paying attention to my speed," the officer said.
Uber said the detective's "behavior in the video is wrong and unacceptable" and company officials "are in touch with our driver-partner who was subjected to this terrible experience and will continue to provide any support he needs."
In the video, the officer said, "This isn't important enough for me. You're not important enough. Don't ever do that again."
"Does he need any help, does he have to talk to somebody? This is what the police department is going to look at because you can't afford this kind of bad publicity," Giacalone said.
The passenger who took the video tweeted that he plans to testify at the Civilian Complaint Review Board meeting Wednesday to help jump-start the independent investigation.
CBS News was unable to reach Cherry or reach his union Wednesday morning for comment.