Somerville Investigates Traffic Stop Involving Former NFL Player
SOMERVILLE (CBS) – A man who was driving in Somerville this month said he was frightened when a traffic stop quickly escalated. He caught the incident on camera.
"I feel like that's an experience every black man has with law enforcement," said Abner Logan, who is a former NFL linebacker.
Logan said he was driving to his mom's cookout on the Fourth of July, with his dog sitting on his lap. He says the dog is why the officer initially pulled him over.
He was driving on McGrath Highway and Broadway when the officer flashed his lights. Logan said he immediately looked for a safe place to pull off. He turned on Pearl Street, about a quarter mile from where the officer attempted to pull him over. But that officer told Logan it wasn't fast enough.
Logan took video of what followed. He says he started recording when he noticed the officer's mood changing. The video shows Logan yelling, "I've done nothing wrong," while sitting in the driver's seat. One officer struck Logan's window with a baton.
Despite being a former NFL player and current pro bodybuilder, Logan has no problem admitting he was scared.
"He [the officer] sounds very nervous and that made me nervous because recent trends, incidents like that happen and it ends up a lot worse. So I'm just thankful it didn't transpire to that," Logan said.
Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone said in a statement: "I want to be clear, the City of Somerville does not tolerate excessive force or bias, or any other inappropriate policing. We are taking this matter very seriously. It is being thoroughly investigated. Once we have all the facts, we will take every appropriate action to address any identified misconduct."
Logan believes that investigation is a good first step.
"For now it's a start," Logan said. "You know too often you see things like this just being swept under the rug."