Police Identify Officer Who Failed To Respond To Report Of Armed Man
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Police officials in Baltimore continue to investigate why an officer failed to respond to a report of an armed man.
A spokesperson with the Baltimore Police Department said Tuesday they have identified the female officer in the video and for now she has not been suspended and continues to work her regular duty.
On Monday, the department released a video shot on the dashcam of firefighters that shows a man walking in the area of Lexington and St. Paul streets with what looked like a gun in his waistband.
The firefighters call 911 from their vehicle to report the man, who then was seen tossing the gun into nearby bushes. They drive around the block and find a uniformed officer, who tells them it isn't her district.
Warning: Video Contains Vulgar Language
Hey, can you help me out?" the firefighter asks the officer in the video. "There's a guy who just dumped a gun. I just called it in twice, but it took them forever to respond. Right there at St. Paul and Lexington."
However, she stated it wasn't her district and didn't respond.
"Sir, right now I'm going back to the station. You called it in? This isn't my district. Call them.' the officer said.
Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle called the video "particularly disturbing" and said the officer's response was unacceptable.
Mayor Catherine Pugh responded to the video Tuesday
The Mayor's reaction to the video of an Baltimore City officer who appeared not to respond to a report of an armed man — saying it wasn't in her district @wjz pic.twitter.com/nv7yBBnZZG
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) July 17, 2018
Just last week, USA Today published an article saying police in Baltimore stopped noticing crimes following the 2015 death of Freddie Gray -- and since then crime has surged.
Police are not releasing the name of the officer at this time.
This story is developing. Stay with WJZ for the latest.
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