Toledo man says officer pulled gun, did not ID himself

4/1/2011

A Toledo police officer is under investigation after a central-city man said the officer pulled a gun on him without identifying himself as an officer.

The off-duty officer — whose name was not released because of contractual agreements — was on his way to court at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday when he reportedly observed Roy Barringer, 47, to be “operating a vehicle in a reckless manner.” The officer followed Mr. Barringer and called 911 to report the “reckless” driving.

The officer told police he showed Mr. Barringer his badge several times and told Mr. Barringer to pull over, according to an unusual incident report.

Mr. Barringer said he thought the officer wanted to race, but eventually called 911 to say he was being followed and the man had pulled a gun on him. The Toledo man said he never saw a badge. The officer told police he pulled his weapon because he thought Mr. Barringer might have a weapon based on his mannerisms, the report said.

Police did not recover a weapon from Mr. Barringer’s vehicle. Mr. Barringer’s car was towed from his home because he was driving with a suspended license.

The case is still under investigation, internal affairs Lt. Dan Gerken said Thursday.

Police Chief Mike Navarre said Mr. Barringer filed a complaint against the officer. The officer is still active, the chief said.