Officer who punched taxi driver back on duty

Kytsune · Last edited by Kytsune on Sat Jun 09, 2007 3:04 pm; edited 1 time in total

Officer accused of hitting cab driver back on duty - ABC15

Officials from the Scottsdale Police Department could not comment on Officer Chance Lovell's return because they say there is still an internal investigation underway.

The cab driver tells ABC15 he feared for his life when Lovell, who was off-duty at the time, started yelling and then punched him along Tempe's Mill Avenue back in April.

Quoted, emphasis mine.

Dude, stay away from our cabbies, alright?

Kytsune · Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2007 3:03 pm Post subject:

Cop could clear charge in assault on cabbie - East Valley Tribune

A Scottsdale police officer who assaulted a cab driver last month is back on the job, but not the one he used to do. He also has a chance to clear himself.

Watch Tribune reporter Nicole Birk's report

In order to avoid a misdemeanor assault charge, Officer Chance Lovell, 30, is required to complete a court-ordered diversion program within six months, Tempe City Prosecutor Robert Hubbard said Thursday. Lovell is accused of screaming racial slurs and punching Omar Abdi, 39, a cab driver from Somalia, after a confrontation at a Tempe gas station in April.

If Lovell completes an adult diversion program that could include participating in anger management and substance abuse classes or community service, the charge will be dismissed, Hubbard said. People are eligible to participate in the program if they have no prior criminal history, and Lovell had a clean slate, Hubbard said.