BOSTON — An off-duty Boston police officer was charged Monday with attacking the driver of an Uber car he had hired in the early hours of Sunday morning, after a dispute about the route, prosecutors said.
The officer, 40-year-old Michael Doherty, was accused of assault and battery, as well as violating the driver’s civil rights because he used a racial slur against the driver, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Doherty, who has been placed on paid administrative leave by the Boston Police Department because of the incident, was released on $500 bail and ordered to stay away from the driver and not to use the popular ride-booking service.
Prosecutors contend that at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Doherty argued with the driver, hitting him and then chasing him around his Toyota Prius before jumping into it and driving away after a passer-by tried to come to the Uber driver’s aid.
Doherty’s attorney, who told local media his client strongly disputes the county’s account of the incident, did not immediately respond for a request for comment Monday.
South Boston Municipal Court Judge Michael Bolden ordered the driver’s name not be released to protect his safety.
Doherty is a 16-year veteran of the Boston Police Department.