A Dallas police officer is under criminal investigation after a man said he was taken to West Dallas early Tuesday, doused with pepper spray and left there.
Authorities are investigating whether Officer Michael Loeb tried to cover up the incident. He was placed on restricted duty Tuesday. Two other officers are considered witnesses in the investigation.
Police had been called because a man identified as Michael Reyes, 19, was hanging around a northwest Dallas neighborhood and asking a 77-year-old man for money, officials said.
Officer Loeb and another officer wrote in reports that they gave Mr. Reyes a ride to West Dallas and that Officer Loeb’s pepper spray canister malfunctioned, accidentally spraying them and Mr. Reyes.
“When you read the officers’ reports, it raises questions,” Police Chief David Kunkle said Wednesday. “We’re investigating first whether a crime occurred involving our officers and then, depending on what we find or don’t find, it may go to Internal Affairs.” more
