A Waterbury police officer has been placed on administrative duty amid an internal investigation into an interaction after the officer tried to stop a driver who fled, according to police.
Police said the officer saw a driver make an illegal turn at West Main Street and Willow Street around 9 p.m. on Friday and tried to stop the person, but the driver left the area.
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WATCH HEREAs police reviewed the incident, they determined that the officer acted in an unprofessional manner during interactions with people believed to be connected to the fleeing vehicle, according to police.
Clips from a doorbell camera show an officer on a front porch speaking to people inside and using several expletives.
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SIGN UP “I know who you are. You are a (expletive) moron,” the officer is heard saying at one point.
“If that car doesn’t appear in the next 10 minutes, I will literally make your life a living hell. I am the wrong (expletive) cop to take off on,” he said in the video.
“I will be here every (expletive) day, knocking on your door. I will put a APB out on that car right now and make sure that every state trooper, every cop in this city and every other city is looking for that car and whoever is found in that car is going to get so (expletive) up,” the officer said in the video.
“This could have been a ticket – on his way -- that’s it. A warning at best, ‘cause that’s all I’ve been doing all day, but he wants to play stupid games,” the officer said.
Police said the officer, Sebastian Alli, he was hired by the Waterbury Police Department as a lateral transfer from the New York Police Department in April 2023.
Waterbury police said the conduct doesn’t meet the standards expected of Waterbury Police Department personnel, undermines the public trust in officers and the officer has been placed on administrative duty pending a full internal affairs investigation.
"The conduct exhibited by this officer is not reflective of the values or professionalism upheld by the men and women of the Waterbury Police Department. We are committed to transparency and accountability, and I want to assure the citizens of Waterbury that a thorough and impartial investigation will be conducted to address this matter appropriately," Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said in a statement.
