B-more pig caught spitting on a "suspect" during an arrest. B-More pig department is "investigating"

Baltimore police investigating possible incident of sergeant spitting on suspect

Baltimore police are conducting an internal investigation into a video that has surfaced on social media that purportedly shows a city police sergeant spitting on a suspect, a department spokesman said.

Police spokesman T.J. Smith said only that the video came to the department's attention via social media, and that it was under investigation. The officer, a sergeant, is on administrative duty, Smith said.

Interim Commissioner Kevin Davis addressed the video at a news conference Tuesday.

"I think any reasonable person can look at the video last night and come away with serious concerns," he said.

Davis described the video as a man who appeared to be under arrest, handcuffed, in a prone position on the ground when an officer standing over him, leans over in a way that appears he spit on the arrested person. Davis said a female bystander can simultaneously be heard yelling that the officer spit on the man.

"We gathered this morning and reviewed that videotape. We have serous concerns about it. We launched an immediate investigation," Davis said.

Activist Kwame Rose was sent videos of the incident and posted them on his Twitter account, where he has more than 7,000 followers.

He couldn't say when or where the video was taken.

Rose, whose real name is Darius Kwame Rosebaugh, said the video showed the officer "doing everything Kevin Davis said police shouldn't do."

"The officer needs to be fired," he said.

Davis said he did not have information about the arrest or what prompted the incident.

Police did not identify the officer or the arrested person.

Davis said the department is asking for other witnesses to come forward and that the department is searching for additional videos of the incident.

Last week Davis addressed questions about another incident captured on video that showed a man punch a police trainee on Broadway Street.

"More and more police encounters are going to be captured on videotape," he said. "The police department welcomes that."

The department is scheduled to launch a body camera pilot program on Oct. 26 in the Central, Western and Eastern district that will last through Dec. 18, with the technology expected to be citywide by early next year.