Detective Steve Burle Identified As Officer In Honking Stop

The officer who detained and ticketed computer programmer Scott Smith last week for honking his horn at unmarked police car is Detective Steve Burle, the Riverfront Times reports. Burle is currently assigned to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's Force Investigation Unit, which was created after the death of Michael Brown to investigate police shootings in the city.

Smith filmed his confrontation with Burle on his cell phone.

"Is your f***ing horn stuck, smarta**?" the Burle asks Smith in the video.

"Is your brake stuck?" Smith replies.

"Let me see your drivers' license."

"For what?" Smith asks. "For honking at someone who's sitting at a green light. This is f***ing ridiculous."

"Well, you know what, maybe you shouldn't be a f***ing asshole," Burle says.

"You're sitting at a green light. I have to go back to work."

"Really," Burle answers. "I hope you're not in a hurry. You're going to be late for a little while."

The department has launched an Internal Affairs investigation related to the incident, and Smith has said he plans to file a formal complaint. Burle has been sued at least three times for excessive use of force, and he reportedly liked a racist Facebook post in July 2016 that cost a Fox 2 reporter his job and led to calls for the firing of Police Lt. Jerry Foster, who originally wrote the post.

The department pledged an investigation, but Foster did not lose his job and Burle was not disciplined.

Patch has received a list of lawsuits and citizen complaints against Burle. Read about those here.

Watch the video here

Image via Shutterstock