Video from a Washington, D.C cab driver obtained by Fox 5 News shows an off-duty Hyattsville City Police officer, Private First Class Pat Ojong, wielding a gun in Dupont Circle. The incident, which occurred on Sunday, September 28, is being investigated by both the Washington Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Hyattsville City Police Department (HCPD).
“We were made aware of the incident the night that it happened,” said Lieutenant Chris Purvis, spokesperson for the HCPD. “The next day, we opened up an internal investigation to start gathering evidence and facts.”
MPD, said Purvis, “is reviewing the video to see if there were any criminal laws were violated … [HCPD is] looking to see if any administrative laws were violated.”
Hyattsville Police confirmed that Ojong has been employed by the HCPD for the past five years and the department has no record of any disciplinary actions taken against the officer in the past.
HCPD’s internal investigative process can take several weeks. First, the department serves the officer in question with a notice of investigation. The officer has a minimum of ten days to seek outside counsel. HCPD says they are currently awaiting the interview process.
At the present time, the state of the investigation in D.C. is unclear. An officer at the MPD was unable to find a police report of the incident when searching with criteria including the cross streets, Ojong’s name, and the name of the D.C. cab driver.
“We’re still in the very beginning stages of this,” said Purvis. What’s not clear on video, he said, “what we can’t see,” is who the officer is talking to.
The officer remains on active duty.
