Viral Video Misleading, Boston Police Say; Victim Tripped, Was Never 'Tackled'

BOSTON, MA — The Boston Police Department on Tuesday said they found no evidence of excessive force, and disputed allegations made in a viral video of an off-duty Boston Police officer that prompted public outrage and an internal investigation this spring

The video, taken in May, shows the officer, Edward Barrett, wearing a Red Sox shirt and kneeling on the back of a pedestrian, Milton Gurin. In the video, Barrett claims Gurin struck his unmarked car's window with an umbrella, apparently prompting him to chase Gurin down and pin him to the sidewalk. As Barrett walks Gurin back to his vehicle, Gurin tells the person behind the camera he "tapped" Barrett's vehicle with his umbrella, and claims Barrett cut him off as he walked through the crosswalk.

Neither man has been charged.

In the intervening months, the video has garnered more than 1.4 million views on Facebook alone. Many of those viewers have cried foul, saying it appeared to show excessive force on the part of Officer Barrett. Those claims are bolstered by the man behind the camera, a private citizen who can be heard on the video stating that Gurin was tackled to the ground and his head shoved into the pavement.

Watch: Viral Video of Off-Duty Officer Prompts Police Inquiry

The video also caught the eye of the Boston Police Department, where a spokesperson told Patch in May that BPD's internal affairs division would mount an inquiry.

Over three months later, Boston Police Commissioner William Evans told reporters Tuesday that the internal investigation found nothing to merit stringent disciplinary action or a finding of excessive force.

Police interviewed witnesses and reviewed multiple videos of the incident, among other evidence. The statements in the video posted on Facebook were contradicted by other witnesses, separate video evidence and the victim himself, Evans said.

"There's clearly no sign of excessive force," he said during a press conference late Tuesday.

Rather than being tackled or having his face "slammed to the ground," as the video narrator states, Gurin backed up witness testimony that he himself tripped and that his face was "pressed," not "slammed" into the pavement, according to the BPD investigation's findings, as relayed by Evans.

The officer "clearly believed" his window was broken by Gurin's umbrella, Evans added. Additionally, Evans said, Gurin was walking against the light, despite being in the crosswalk.

The Commissioner also apologized for the long delay in the investigation, which he noted was initiated by police, not the victim. The delay was due in part to Gurin, who himself did not lodge a complaint against police, and did not come in to give a statement for five weeks, according to Evans.

"No case is perfect, so there are a few minor issues in which I believe we could have done better, and appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken," Evans said.

The incident took place on Boylston near the Arlington Street intersection, in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood on May 25, according to Stephen Harlowe, the private citizen who shot the video and can be heard narrating.

In the video, Harlowe repeatedly requests the officer's badge and alleges multiple times that Barrett pushed Gurin's head into the sidewalk.

"He was not moving. You shoved his head into the ground after he was already on the ground," Harlowe can be heard saying.

"You can say I did whatever I did, you know?" Barrett responds with a shrug.

Patch will update this story.

Image via Facebook, Stephen Harlowe