The Cobb County police department has launched an internal investigation of Lt. Greg Abbott, after body cam footage obtained by Channel 2 Action News showed him making “inappropriate racial comments” during a traffic stop last year.
In the footage, Abbott pulled over a white female driver for a DUI. She explained to the Lt. that she was scared to move her arms to get her cellphone because “I’ve just seen way too many videos of cops … ”
However, Abbott stopped her mid-sentence saying, “But you’re not black. Remember, we only shoot black people,” the Lt. said. “Yeah. We only kill black people, right? All the videos you’ve seen, have you seen the black people get killed?”
On Wednesday, the Chief of Police revealed that he had just learned of the recording of the incident that took place on July 2016.
Abott’s attorney addressed the matter in a statement.
“Lt. Greg Abbott is a highly respected 28-year veteran of the Cobb County Police Department,” the lawyer said. “He is cooperating with the department’s internal investigation and will continue to do so. His comments must be observed in their totality to understand their context. He was attempting to de-escalate a situation involving an uncooperative passenger. In context, his comments were clearly aimed at attempting to gain compliance by using the passenger’s own statements and reasoning to avoid making an arrest.”
Abbott has been placed on administrative duty.
Check out the video below:
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