A Cobb County police officer and a Georgia state trooper have been suspended from duty after a race-related incident.
Two Georgia law enforcement officers are in hot water after a race-related incident on I-575 went viral.
Cobb County Police Officer Brent Dewees and Georgia State Trooper Derick Fitzwater were arrested on Thursday after footage of the two officers racing each other made rounds on social media.
The footage, which was shared on a popular Instagram page known for sharing racing videos, appears to show Dewees and Fitzwater in their police cruisers weaving in and out of traffic on the Cobb County stretch of Interstate 575 before coming to a stop at an off-ramp while bystanders cheer. The footage is captioned with the words “3rd shift be like” followed by a police officer emoji and a fire emoji.
Dewees and Fitzwater were identified as the drivers of the cruisers after investigators matched the cruiser numbers to the officers during the time the incident took place. Both officers have been placed on administrative leave without pay, and may face additional disciplinary measures. The Georgia State Police and Cobb County Police Department each issued statements, saying that they’re investigating the incident internally.
“We don’t tolerate this kind of behavior from our troopers,” Georgia State Police Lieutenant Albert Whitman said to reporters. “Racing has no place in our department. We’re investigating the incident, and the offending trooper will be dealt with accordingly.”
The Cobb County Police Department said that Dewees’s actions were under investigation by internal affairs, and he would be disciplined according to department guidelines.
Local residents took to social media to express their feelings on the incident, with most expressing outrage.
“This is some [expletive]”, one comment on X read. “Guess racing is okay if you got a badge.”
“Racing ass cops. Just another day in America.”, another user posted
Still, some comments defended the officers, saying that being in law enforcement can be very stressful.
“Cops are people too,” one X user said in response to the incident, “They make mistakes just like anyone else.”
Another comment read “It’s a stressful job. They’re under pressure every day. Who cares if they want to blow off some steam?”
Dewees and Fitzwater didn’t respond to requests for comment, however a Cobb County police officer spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“I’ve known Brent for ten years,” the officer said. “He loves racing, he does this all the time. I’m not surprised it finally caught up to him.”
In an official statement, the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office said that the office was taking the incident “very seriously”, and were considering filing charges against the officers. The office said that the pair are looking at potential charges which include street racing, reckless driving, and reckless endangerment.
“Nobody is above the law,” a spokesperson for the Cobb County DA said. “We take all race-related crimes very seriously, no matter who the perpetrators are.”
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