A cop in Florida has been arrested after he was spotted travelling at almost double the speed limit by another officer.
Officer Alexander Shaouni was pulled over by a Seminole County Sheriff’s deputy after he was allegedly seen driving at 80mph in a 45mph zone.
He has since been hit with several charges, including reckless driving, and relieved of his duties while officials launch an investigation into the incident.
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According to a police report, the deputy stopped Shaouni after he flew past him on a road in Orlando, forcing the officer to fire up his sirens and speed down a two-lane road to catch up.
In footage from inside the police vehicle, the officer can be heard saying he is driving ‘over 100 miles an hour trying to catch up to him’.
Once pulled over Shaouni attempted to argue with his fellow officer before claiming that he was on his way to work.
Bodycam footage shows the moment Shaouni is stopped before he hops out of his car, approaches the deputy and asks: “What? I am going into work, my man, why are you trying to pull me over as I’m going into work?”
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The deputy replies: “Because you are going 80 in a 45.”
To which Shaouni responds: “I am going to work,” and gestures at his Orlando Police Department uniform.
“What does it look like I’m dressed for?” he asks. “What does it look like I’m dressed for?”
Undeterred by the fact he’s in uniform, the deputy asks for his licence but Shaouni refuses and heads back to his vehicle, gets in and drives off.
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The sheriff’s deputy then immediately reported the incident and Shaouni was later identified through his badge, the police cruiser's number and the fact his name was written across his police vest.
He eventually turned himself to the Seminole County Jail where he was charged with resisting an officer, reckless driving and fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer with active sirens, WESH 2 reports.
Shaouni has also been suspended pending an investigation.
In a statement to the news outlet, Orlando Police Department said: “The Orlando Police Department was notified by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, June 9th that OPD Officer Alexander Shaouni was involved in an incident that occurred in Seminole County that resulted in criminal charges.
“Officer Shaouni has been relieved of duty pending the Seminole County Sheriff’s criminal investigation and OPD’s Internal Affairs investigation.”
Claire Reid