Boston officer charged with assaulting Uber driver

A veteran Boston police officer uttered racial slurs during an alleged assault of an Uber driver in South Boston early Sunday, according to a police report and a statement from the department.

Officer Michael Doherty, 40, of South Boston, a 16-year-veteran, was placed on paid administrative leave after his arrest on charges of assault and battery and of using a motor vehicle without authority, police said.

He could not be reached for comment, and his union president did not return a call late Sunday.

According to a police statement, an Uber driver told officers at about 2:45 a.m. that a passenger, later identified as Doherty, had assaulted him. The driver also said Doherty repeatedly used racial slurs during the encounter, according to a police report obtained by the Globe.

When the vehicle was on East Second Street, the driver reported, Doherty said they were in the wrong place and asked, “What, you think I’m stupid, you [expletive],” followed by a racist term for Latinos, the report said.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/01/04/boston-police-officer-arrested-for-alleged-assault-uber-driver/MIaZHrxr56FzsMfch2s7vI/story.html