School resource officer caught on video punching motorist in face; later he seems to deny it — but other cops bring receipts

An off-duty Connecticut middle school resource officer was caught on video punching a motorist in the face late last year, WTIC-TV reported.

Thing is, when fellow police officers confronted Allen Ganter about the incident, their bodycam video shows him appearing to play dumb about the punch.

Then the officers told him it was caught on camera, the station reported.

What are the details?

WTIC said a tip came in about the Dec. 8 incident, and the station obtained video of it after filing a Freedom of Information request.

Thomas Brocuglio, 37, was driving his company vehicle with the dash camera recording when he approached a Toyota Tacoma ahead of him at a red light at the intersection of France Street and Cromwell Avenue in Rocky Hill, WTIC said.

“What are we doing?” Brocuglio asked, honking his horn, expecting the Tacoma driver to make a right turn.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

“Wait all f**kin' day!” Brocuglio yelled, according to his dashcam. The station said Brocuglio soon gave the finger to the driver of the truck.

Then Ganter — a 57-year-old corporal with the Meriden police force who was off-duty at the time — exited the Tacoma and approached Brocuglio's vehicle while flashing his badge.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Ganter — who has more than 20 years of law enforcement experience, the station said — was about to make his first head-scratching mistake.

“You can’t take a right on red, you a**hole,” Ganter told Brocuglio, according to WTIC.

Problem for Ganter was that the sign doesn't communicate that — and Brocuglio picked up on Ganter's gaffe right away.

“Really? Where does it say that? It says 'stop here on red,'” Brocuglio replied. Motorists can turn right on red when a sign says stop here on red.

Ganter soon was taking photos of Brocuglio’s license plates; Brocuglio accused Ganter of being on his phone; and Ganter then threatened to ticket Broculglio and call his supervisor, WTIC reported.

“Sure. Sounds good,” Brocuglio replied. “Let me get your badge number.”

Instead, Brocuglio got a knuckle sandwich. The station said Ganter punched Brocuglio in the face. That was the cop's second mistake.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The station said Ganter cursed at Brocuglio and asked him, "Who do you think you are ...? Do you want to get arrested?”

A shocked-looking Brocuglio answered, “You are going to get arrested for assaulting a civilian.”

The tables turn

WTIC said Ganter drove off, and Brocuglio called 911, telling the dispatcher, “I was just assaulted by a police officer. He punched me in the face through my window."

Rocky Hill Police responded and generated an incident report saying the punch left Brocuglio “dazed and possibly concussed," the station said.

What's more, Rocky Hill Police bodycam video shows them confronting Ganter at his residence, WTIC reported.

“Is he pressing charges against me like for breach because I yelled at him and stuff?” Ganter asked one Rocky Hill officer.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

“For assault because you hit him,” the Rocky Hill officer answered.

“He’s saying that I hit him?” Ganter replied.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Let's just call that mistake number three.

“Yeah," the Rocky Hill officer answered. "And he has video that you hit him."

Amazingly, Ganter asked the Rocky Hill officers if he could charge Broculgio: “There's nothing where I can press for breach for him yelling at me, whatever it is?”

Charged

Ganter — a school resource officer for Thomas Edison Middle School in Meriden — was charged with breach of peace and third-degree assault, WTIC said.

Internal affairs found Ganter violated the department's conduct rules, was suspended without pay for five days, and was required to attend de-escalation training for three consecutive years, the station said.

"At the time Corporal Ganter was placed on administrative duty, he was also removed from his assignment as a School Resource Officer, and as a result of the discipline which was rendered as a part of the IA investigation, Corporal Ganter was permanently removed from his assignment as an SRO," the department added in its statement to WTIC.

Video appears to show Meriden officer punch person in the face during road rage incidentyoutu.be

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