PUYALLUP, Wash. – An off-duty Puyallup police officer is accused of pulling a gun on another driver in a case of road rage.
Officer Mark Delight was charged by Pierce County prosecutors Tuesday. If convicted of reckless driving and assault, his law enforcement career in Washington could be over. State law says officers can't be convicted felons.
Prosecutors say Delight deliberately rammed another car on a residential street on Memorial Day.
The victim, Tim McCreary, says Delight pulled a gun on him. McCreary also says Delight never identified himself and wasn't wearing a uniform.
According to court papers, it was not until Delight had McCreary "on the ground with the gun pointing at him that he realized Delight was a police officer."
"We don't want anybody out on the roads taking the law into their own hands, so to speak," said Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist.
McCreary says Delight didn't move his car when a stop light turned green, so McCreary honked his horn and passed him. But Delight sped up and rear-ended McCreary's car.
Lindquist says delight did not get any special treatment because he is a cop.
"We take road rage cases seriously. We want our street to be safe. We looked at this case like we would any other with these facts. The fact that the defendant was an officer didn't affect the charging decision," said Lindquist.
Delight is on paid administrative leave. If he's convicted, the Puyallup Police Department would launch an internal investigation which could lead to his firing.
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