An officer with the police department for the City of Seaford, Delaware, has been indicted on multiple charges, including a felony for brandishing a handgun, after, what state officials called a "traffic-related altercation that occurred while he was off-duty."
On Monday, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced charges against City of Seaford officer, Kyle Linville, 38, following an incident he was involved in on August 23 along Oak Road in Bridgeville.
According to the AG's office, on that day, Linville "experienced mechanical trouble" with his pick-up truck and trailer on a driveway along Oak Road, blocking both lanes of traffic. When a driver along that roadway was unable to pass, he and Linville became engaged in a verbal altercation that escalated, officials said.
During the incident, officials said Linville "proceeded to shout obscenities at the victim, scratch the paint on his vehicle, issue verbal threats, and ultimately point his handgun at him."
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Linville was off-duty at the time, and officials said, he never identified himself as a police officer during the altercation.
“On or off duty, police officers are sworn to protect,” said Jennings. “As a trained police officer, the Defendant should have known better. This is a matter of law as much as one of common sense: you should never point a gun at anyone unless you plan to shoot. We will hold him accountable.”
The driver that was involved in this incident was unarmed and never exited his vehicle, officials said.
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"We are aware of the indictment against our officer for an off-duty incident, which resulted in the officer being placed on suspension and we are cooperating with the Department of Justice in connection with their investigation," City of Seaford's Police Chief Marshall Craft said in a statement.
Linville has been charged with aggravated menacing, harassment, disorderly conduct, and criminal mischief following the incident. Officials said he has been suspended.
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