Traffic officer detained for alleged police brutality

AMMAN — A traffic officer was detained for 14 days following investigations by the police prosecution of alleged police brutality against a motorist on Tuesday, official sources said.

The police prosecutor also referred a motorist, who was seen in a video that went viral, exchanging words with a police officer who was trying to pull him out of a vehicle, to the civil courts on charges of slander, Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said.

The Amman prosecutor decided to detain the motorist for one week pending further investigations, Sartawi added.

The circulation of a video of the incident online prompted the Director of the Public Security Department (PSD) Maj. Gen. Fadel Hmoud to order an immediate investigation into the matter, Sartawi told the Jordan Times.

“Our initial investigation based on witnesses accounts and the video of the incident indicated that the citizen started the problem by cursing at the police officer,” Sartawi explained.

Meanwhile, a senior government official told The Jordan Times on Wednesday that “such an incident, although uncommon, will never be tolerated”.

“We do not accept any acts that could violate citizens’ rights and, if the police officer was found guilty, he will get his appropriate punishment as stipulated by the law,” the government official said.

Several people expressed mixed reactions towards the incident via the Traffic Department’s Facebook page.

“It is good to know that no one is above the law,” wrote Mohammad Omari.

Um Mazen Qaisy added: “I saw the video and it is obvious that both were at fault. The motorist started cursing at the police officer and he responded a bit violently because he was provoked.  The police officer is only human.”