After a video was posted on social media, Boston Police are taking a close look at a sergeant accused of violating the rights of the person shooting the video and waving a gun in his face.
In both cases, the commissioner says the police sergeant was wrong.
Monday afternoon in the city's Roxbury neighborhood, a man recorded the video of Boston Police officers who placed a 14-year-old in handcuffs for what looked at the time like a handgun.
It turns out it wasn't - it was actually an airsoft pellet gun, one without the orange tip, which would have revealed it was a toy.
First, Boston Police Sgt. Henry Staines gave the man shooting the video a hard time for recording.
"You want to jump in the cruiser with us?" he asked sarcastically.
Then, he returned a few moments later to wave the gun in the man's face.
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"This is why we're here," he said.
Boston Police first addressed the issue to necn on Tuesday, saying internal affairs is investigating and that the entire department is receiving a memo reissuing the wiretapping statute on rules to be expected when the public shoots video at crime scenes.
"Sgt. Staines is very embarrassed over this, he's all apology, he knows he messed up and he's willing to take what discipline is going to be imposed. I think he acted truly out of character for himself but he's not denying that he messed up here," Commissioner William Evans said.
The Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts was outraged with the officer's conduct.
"An individual citizen has a right to videotape something that is transpiring in a public space. And the behavior was off kilter and we need to deal with that. It was disrespectful," said Darnell Williams, CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.
"[It was an] aggressive, arrogant and disrespectful attitude that he had," said the man who shot the video, who is known as Brother Lawrence.
Meanwhile, the man who shot the video, who is known as Brother Lawrence, says he just wants police to let the public know the rules.
"All I want is just for the citizens of Boston to know that they have a right to videotape without intimidation from the police department," he added.
On the issue of toy guns, Boston Police say they have taken 214 off the streets in the past year. They can pose a major problem, given how real some look.
"We see what happened in Cleveland with a young kid running around with with a toy gun and it just adds to the stress of our job and I think there's no excuse for what Sergeant Staines did and he's going to most likely be disciplined," Commissioner Evans said.
This could be a reprimand, possibly a suspension.
Staines is an 18-year veteran with some previous allegations against him, but nothing proven.
Friday morning, the head of the NAACP will meet with the man who shot the video and with Staines.
