This senior Queensland police officer is facing criminal charges after pointing his gun at an unsuspecting driver, which now seems to be just one of multiple indiscretions on the job.
The officer, identified as Senior Constable Stephen Flanagan, is still demanding to be paid while he’s on suspension, though with new evidence pointing out how he tends to conduct, his chances of getting his pay reinstated aren’t looking too bright.
The clip below shows two distinct occurrences in which Flanagan behaved in an abusive way towards a motorist, the first one being where he pulled a gun on a ute driver doing 126 km/h (78 mph) in a 110 km/h (68 mph) zone.
Flanagan even handcuffed the driver while checking his registration, though had to release him as soon as he realized the car wasn’t stolen – as if doing 10 mph (16km/h) over the legal limit automatically makes you a car thief.
The officer was later charged with assault and deprivation of liberty after an investigation by the Ethical Standards Command. In his defense, Flanagan stated that he thought the car was stolen (again, why?) and that he didn’t realize his sirens were off.
A separate video was later introduced as evidence against the officer, showing his behavior during an incident that took place on the Gold Coast in 2013. That time, Flanagan pulled a driver over on the M1 motorway for speeding (allegedly), which was something that the driver denied on the spot.
As the driver was explaining his actions, Flanagan threw his keys to the ground and threatened to “snap him in half” as a direct result of the man complaining about how the officer had hurt his shoulder when pushing him away from the car.
What do you think about officer Flanagan’s behavior?