He had 12 previous civilian complaints against him.
The New York City Police Detective caught on camera berating an Uber driver has been stripped of his gun and put on desk duty.
Patrick Cherry, a member of the NYPD/FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is being transferred out of the elite division.
In video of the incident, Cherry told the driver, “The only reason you're not in handcuffs and going to jail and getting summons in the precinct is because I have things to do. That's the only reason that's not happening. Because this isn't important enough for me. You're not important enough. Don't ever do that again!”
It turns out that 38-year-old Cherry has 12 previous civilian complaints against him, some involving verbal abuse.
The verbal tirade happened after the Uber driver honked his horn at the New York City Police Detective who was attempting to park his car on Manhattan's West Side Highway without signaling.
Detective Cherry is said to have been under a lot of emotional stress in recent days. Just before his encounter with the Uber driver, Cherry came to the NYU Langone Medical Center to pay a bedside visit with a good friend and fellow detective on the Terrorism Task Force who is in critical condition after suffering a heart attack.
The president of the NYPD’s Detective's Union Michael J. Palladino is coming to Cherry's defense. In a statement, Palladino said: "Detective Cherry is a person of good character and an excellent detective. He really should not be judged by one isolated incident. Cops are just like everyone else."
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton is condemning his behavior, saying, “In any encounter behavior like that and language like that is unacceptable. That officer’s behavior reflected poorly on everyone who uses a uniform.”
