Two Durham police officers were fired after an internal investigation found them guilty of assaulting a cook at a Raleigh eatery July 20, Durham Police Department Chief Steve Chalmers announced Thursday.
The officers, Gary Lee and Scott Tanner, were both charged with simple assault when Rene Thomas, a cook at Blinco's Sports Restaurant and Bar, alleged he was surrounded and beaten by several police officers.
In total, five officers were questioned. Two investigators in the Duke lacrosse case--Sgt. Mark Gottlieb and officer Richard Clayton--and officer James Griffin were cleared of any wrongdoing with regards to the incident.
In a statement released Sept. 14, Chalmers wrote that no disciplinary action will be taken against the cleared officers, who returned to full duty one week after the alleged assault.
The announcement came in a news conference held by Chalmers, who said he does not need to wait for results of a legal investigation to be assured of the officers' guilt.
"[The officers' behavior] really failed to rise to the level of what we expect from our officers," Chalmers said.
Although the police department has requested a waiver to avoid releasing details about the internal investigation, Chalmers said he chose to make the dismissals public.
"I believe that allowing this matter to linger while the criminal case proceeded through the court would erode the public confidence in the ability of our department to provide services in a fair and impartial manner," Chalmers said. "Investigators spoke with the victim and all officers involved in this matter and conducted a detailed, scrupulous investigation into the allegations."
Lee and Tanner still face a criminal investigation, but they will appear in court Sept. 25 with the opportunity to appeal their dismissals. The final decision in the matter will be left to City Manager Patrick Baker.
The July 20 incident allegedly occurred after police officers gathered at Blinco's to honor a colleague who had recently announced his resignation.
In a report printed by the Raleigh News & Observer Sept. 15, Thomas said he was on a cigarette break when some officers pulled out of the parking lot.
When Thomas yelled at the officers, he said he received racial slurs. In response, Thomas added that he then yelled a racial slur back at the officers and a fight ensued.
Chalmers told the N&O that other officers present that night denied using or hearing any racial slurs.
Although the officers were off-duty during the incident, Chalmers said the DPD takes allegations against its officers seriously.
"The Durham Police Department expects its employees to maintain a certain standard of behavior both on and off duty," he said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.