Kentucky State Trooper Anthony Harrison was recorded in a physical altercation with road workers who pinned him to the ground
An off-duty Kentucky State Trooper was caught on camera getting into a brawl with a group of construction workers who pinned the officer to the ground.
Officer Anthony Harrison pulled over in his unmarked car late Sunday night along Dixie Highway in Louisville where the crew members were paving the road.
Harrison reportedly became upset when a road worker told him to slow down. He felt there wasn’t enough warning for drivers alerting them to the construction zone.
When he got out of the car, Cindy West said, ‘he took out his wallet and flung it in my face and told me he was a state trooper’.
Harrison is seen in the video face-to-face with West and yelling before the altercation got physical.
Another road worker, Damon Johnson told WHAS News he stepped in to de-escalate the situation when Harrison punched him and busted his lip. That’s when three of the workers held Harrison down on fresh asphalt until on-duty officers could get to the scene.
Road worker Cindy West is seen in an argument with Trooper Harrison who not wearing uniform and was in an unmarked car
The construction workers said they feared the fight could move into another lane and in the path of oncoming traffic.
‘We don’t take down police officers for nothing. We did it because he was going to get somebody killed,’ Johnson said.
He added that there were about 13 workers with flashing lights, orange cones and bright wands alerting drivers to the construction zone ‘which he blasted right by’.
West said, ‘he blew past the flagger and almost hit me’.
The video starts with the off-duty officer yelling at West. She is heard saying, ‘don’t yell at me’.
Harrison, who was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts shouts back, ‘I will yell at you, or what?’
As the altercation gets physical, Harrison reaches for the cell phone recording him and a woman can be heard calling police.
The moment Harrison reached for the cell phone that was recording him is seen left. The camera shots become erratic but Harrison is seen in a physical altercation with a worker
West said it’s hard to trust officers now, which is particularly upsetting because road workers often work with state troopers during construction projects.
Kentucky State Police Sergeant Josh Lawson said the incident is being investigated and no one involved has filed any charges.
Lawson called the incident ‘startling and concerning’. He added: ‘The video is one part of the entire picture. If Trooper Harrison is found of any wrongdoing, he will be dealt with accordingly.’
As of now Harrison, who has been with the department since 2013, is still on active duty.