An off-duty Boston cop charged with beating an Uber driver was arraigned today on two counts of assault and battery, violating the civil rights of the driver and a man who came to his aid, assault and use of a motor vehicle without authority, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.
Michael Doherty, 40, of South Boston, was released on $500 bail at his arraignment in South Boston Municipal Court, the DA's office reports. He was ordered to stay away from the victims, not use Uber and undergo alcohol and drug evaluations.
The DA's office provided this account of what happened early Sunday:
[Assistant District Attorney William] Champlin told the court that the victim, an adult male Uber driver, had driven Doherty from Charlestown to an address on East 2nd Street at approximately 2:30 a.m. Sunday. However, when they arrived at the location, Doherty allegedly told the driver they were in the wrong location and called him a racial epithet, prosecutors said. Doherty allegedly began hitting the victim, who exited the vehicle in the area of East 2nd and M streets to escape the assault; Doherty then exited and chased the man around the vehicle.
As the victim flagged down a passing motorist for help, Doherty entered the victim’s 2005 Toyota Prius and drove away, prosecutors said. The victim entered the other motorist’s vehicle and the two men followed the Doherty until he stopped and exited the vehicle at East 1st Street and Farragut Road. There, Doherty allegedly approached both men and used another racial epithet against the second man. He knocked the Uber driver to the ground and began hitting him; after the second victim came to the man’s aid, the three men became involved in a physical struggle that ended when Doherty observed the lights of an approaching police vehicle and walked away. MassPort Police who initially arrived on scene searched the area, were unable to locate Doherty.
Doherty, who was identified through his credit card information on file with Uber, surrendered himself to Boston Police yesterday.
The Herald, meanwhile, reports that not long before Doherty's court appearance, his ex-girlfriend made an appearance related to the charges against her that she broke into his home in November and attacked him as he lay in bed with his new girlfriend.
Innocent, etc.