A top New York Police detective is facing suspension and reassignment after an altercation with an Uber driver that was captured on video by an Indian-origin passenger.
The roadside rage began when the Uber driver gestured to Patrick Cherry, a detective in an unmarked car to use his blinker, after he was allegedly attempting to park without using it, according to Sanjay Seth, a passenger in the car who uploaded the video to YouTube on Monday.
The video shows Cherry, assigned to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force with top secret security clearance, yelling at the driver of the taxi and mocking his accent.
In the video, Cherry tells the driver he has committed "three traffic and law violations" and then becomes irate and uses expletives toward the comparably calm driver, CNN reported today.
After the foul-mouthed detective steps back to his car, the Uber driver, who moved to America less than two years ago, turns to Seth and thanks him for recording the video.
"That's crazy. That's really inappropriate," Seth is heard telling the driver.
"Already reported to Civilian Complaint Review Board," Seth wrote on his Facebook page last night. "Felt awful for the driver, but hopefully the Internet will give him some justice."
The driver, who has not been named, filed a complaint with police, which prompted the New York Police Department (NYPD) to assign the case to the Internal Affairs Bureau.
"The behaviour in the video is wrong and unacceptable and we appreciate the NYPD investigating the incident. We are in touch with our driver-partner who was subjected to this terrible experience and will continue to provide any support he needs," Uber said.
Web-based Uber taxi hailing service has become popular in many countries due to its cheap rides, but the firm was forced to announce last week a worldwide code of conduct since an Uber driver was charged with rape in India in December last.
