Expand / Collapse search
☰

New Detroit Police Officer 'relieved of duties' following Greektown fight just hours after graduation

By and FOX 2 Staff
Updated  August 23, 2021 6:40pm EDT
Detroit Police Department
FOX 2 Detroit

Off-duty Detroit police officer arrested one day after graduating academy for Greektown fight

A violent bar fight is caught on camera in Greektown. At the center of it all, as an off-duty DPD officer.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A probationary Detroit Police Officer who had received his badge Friday was arrested after a bar fight in Greektown early Saturday morning and has already been relieved of his duties, FOX 2 has learned.

FOX 2's Jessica Dupnack obtained a video that showed a wild scene play out in Greektown that involved a newly minted Detroit Police Officer. According to the police department, the probationary officer was under the influence of alcohol when he got into a confrontation with other men.

The probationary officer then punches a man and is then attacked by a group of men. In the video, you can see what looks like a police badge attached to his belt. Uniformed officers eventually stepped in to break up the beating.

The new Detroit police officer had graduated from the police academy on Friday. 

New Detroit Police Officer relieved of duties after Greektown brawl

A Detroit Police Officer had his badge for less than 24 hours until he got into a brawl in Greektown. He's since been relieved of duties after the fight - which was caught on video.

He has not been named and, because he's a probationary officer, he has been relieved of duties but not fired.

Interim Detroit Police Chief James White issued a statement about the officer's arrest:

RELATED: Detroit officer punches man in Greektown

"I’m extremely disappointed in the behavior and actions of this probationary officer. His conduct does not represent the hardworking men and women of this department," Chief White said.

The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has sent back a warrant request for more information before formal charges are issued.

Greektown has been a hotspot for violence over the past few months, specifically after bars are closing for the night.

In early August, video showed a Detroit Police Officer punching a man in Greektown during a wild brawl.

The man was apparently involved in a brawl and was backing away from officers in the middle of the street when he was punched out by the officer. The man who was punched doesn't appear to react when officers try to lift him up. He eventually wakes up and begins shaking his hand at the police. Pedestrians then help him up as officers leave the scene. 

That prompted an internal investigation by the police department. 

A Detroit Police Officer has been relieved of duties just hours after graduating from the police academy after getting into a brawl in Greektown early Saturday morning.