Boston's Top Cop Backs Officer Who Put Hands Around Suspect's Neck

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans is standing behind an officer who was recently caught on video putting his hand around a suspect’s neck. Despite the officers actions, Evans says the 18-year-old suspect was not choked.

A YouTube video, which went viral on Monday, clearly depicts suspect Elvin Vargas approaching an officer and yelling profanities about police.

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A second plainclothes officer followed Vargas as he left the scene. That officer apprehended Vargas, walked him to a police cruiser, and then ordered a uniformed officer to make an arrest for disorderly conduct.

Vargas then began to again shout obscenities while in handcuffs. He refused to cooperate when officers attempted to place him into the cruiser. At that point, Officer Ted R. Rivera placed his hands around Vargas’ neck for several seconds. A large crowd then assembled around the cruiser.

Evans addressed the incident in a news conference on Tuesday.

“He (Vargas) wouldn’t go into the car and the officer involved was struggling,” Evans said. “There clearly was no real choking going on there.”

Vargas’ lawyers tell The Boston Globe that there was no probable cause to place him under arrest. Evans argues Vargas was disturbing the peace.

“He was out there in the middle of the street yelling and screaming. There’s little kids around, it’s broad daylight. To me that’s an issue,” Evans added.

According to Evans, Vargas had obstructed police as they were attempting to leave a parking lot following a nearby drug investigation. That’s when he started with the police insults.

Rivera is said to be an upstanding police officer. Evans feels the behavior shown toward the officers is outrageous.

“We do a dangerous job, and we don’t deserve the type of treatment that we got in this particular incident,” Evans said. “It’s sort of lousy that the focus isn’t on the behavior of that young kid.”

According to The Boston Globe, The American Civil Liberties Union greatly disapproves of Rivera’s action. They feel the force exhibited during the incident was way over the top.

The department has launched an investigation into the incident.