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A Chicago cop was caught on video yelling a homophobic slur during a confrontation with protesters last weekend.
The shocking footage, posted on May 30 to Instagram, shows an unidentified Chicago cop in riot gear carrying a stop sign and a baton while walking toward a police van.
An unidentified person out of camera view then hurls a traffic cone and a barricade toward the cop as his back is turned, prompting him to erupt in anger.
“Wait until I turn my back, you f–king fa—t,” the cop screamed, shocking several protesters nearby, including one who called the officer a “racist” and “homophobic piece of sh-t.”
Chicago police on Saturday confirmed an investigation into the incident was underway, saying in a statement that the department “strives to treat all individuals” its officers encounter with respect, reports the Chicago Tribune.
“Any derogatory conduct is inexcusable and has no place in the department,” police said. “We do not tolerate this kind of behavior, which is why we have opened an investigation into this incident and will take appropriate disciplinary action immediately as we work to identify the officer involved.”
The Instagram user who posted the footage said other cops stood nearby and did nothing after the homophobic outburst which occurred at Grand Avenue and State Street.
“We were walking away from their line peacefully and this cop attacked/chased a protester with that stop sign he is dragging (before cone flew),” the post read. “Other cops were watching him and doing NOTHING.”
The city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability recommended that the office involved be identified and suspended as an investigation is conducted, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Officials from Equality Illinois are also demanding that the officer be immediately pulled off the streets, saying police brutality against queer and trans African Americans cannot be tolerated, the newspaper reported.
“But we want to add, unequivocally, there is no place for homophobia among those who are charged with protecting our city,” the advocacy group told the Tribune. “This officer must be removed from duty.”
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