A Baltimore Police officer was suspended without pay, department officials said Tuesday, after he was seen in a viral video chasing someone with a police cruiser.

The officer, identified as Robert A. Parks, was seen in the video nearly running over a person and driving aggressively in a marked police car in West Baltimore's Park Heights neighborhood. 

After the video was shared on social media in late October, Parks initially had his police powers suspended and was working in an administrative capacity, department officials said. 

Officer Parks, who has been with the department since 2020, crashed the police car after the chase through an intersection, vacant lot, sidewalk and alleyway. 

Baltimore police have not shared information on what led up to the incident. 

Internal investigation

The department said it opened an internal affairs investigation, during which they will review Officer Parks' body-worn camera footage. 

"What is seen in this video is not only disturbing, but alarming," Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. "This is not how we expect our officers to behave, and this incident does not reflect the values or standards of the Baltimore Police Department. Our department continues to work hard to rebuild trust and change the narrative of our department and our city."

Baltimore officials review video 

Members of the Baltimore City Council's Public Safety Committee and Police Accountability Board reviewed the video during a hearing. 

"It was clear that it was completely and wholly unnecessary. It did not de-escalate any situation," said Joshua Harris, the Vice Chair of the Police Accountability Board. "As we look at building public trust, to not just say we're going to defend officers no matter what, but if we see something that is potential wrongdoing, we're going to flag it, and we're going to do our due diligence."

U.S. District Judge James Bredar, who oversees the Baltimore Police Department's consent decree process, also viewed the video, calling it "very troubling."