A former Atlanta police officer was accused of aggravated assault and different crimes after he allegedly pointed his gun at a Black lady and referred to as her a racial slur during a road rage incident earlier this 12 months, in accordance with data obtained Friday by NBC News.
Robert Malone, who’s white and nonetheless labored for the Atlanta Police Department when the May 5 encounter occurred, was additionally accused of violation of oath by a public officer, cruelty to youngsters and possession of a firearm, jail data present.
According to a police report, a lady leaving a shopping mall east of downtown Atlanta was turning left when she almost struck a black Chevrolet Camaro. Malone, who was driving the Camaro, was off-duty however in uniform on the time, a police spokesman mentioned.
The lady instructed police that the officer honked his horn, yelled a racial slur and mentioned he would “blow her brains out,” in accordance with the report.
The lady and her youngsters, who had been additionally within the automotive, noticed the motive force allegedly pointing a gun at them by means of his windshield, in accordance with the report.
When the lady and her boyfriend approached Malone’s automotive, he denied pointing his gun and left the scene once they yelled at him, in accordance with the report.
The lady instructed NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta that the encounter lasted a number of minutes whereas they had been caught in site visitors. Three of her youngsters had been within the automotive on the time, she instructed the station.
“That put the biggest fear in them, like just seeing that gun being pointed at them,” she instructed the station. “And then, my 11-year-old holding my 8-year-old daughter’s head down to protect her, telling her the gun is pointing right here. I cried that night — that hurt.”
The woman, who the station did not name and whose face was not visible in the interview, did not immediately return a message left on a number listed under her name Friday night.
She told the station that she flagged down another officer who was nearby handling an unrelated crash.
Malone later told the officer via radio that he left area because he didn’t want to “infuse” the situation, according to the report.
Malone was booked June 28 and released on bond the following day, jail records show. A police department spokesman declined to comment on the allegations, citing an active investigation.
Charges have not been filed in the case, according to Malone’s lawyer, Brian Tevis. A spokesman for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Malone was hired in September 2009 and resigned from the department July 12, a police spokesman said. He left for “personal reasons completely unrelated to these false allegations,” Tevis said in an email.
Tevis accused the woman and her boyfriend of making “inaccurate and inconsistent claims from the beginning.”
“Because the matter continues to be below investigation, all I can say additional presently is we are going to vigorously combat these false allegations and stay up for the reality popping out,” Tevis mentioned.
Kurt Chirbas contributed.