Austin officer suspended for driving recklessly, and then pulls out gun after collision

 

AUSTIN — An Austin Police Department officer was suspended for 60 days for reportedly driving erratically and pulling a gun on another driver who rear ended him when he was off duty.

A Nov. 10 memo from Chief Brian Manley says on May 23, officers were called out to Red River Street and East Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard after a caller reported someone had pulled a gun on him after a collision they were in.

When they got to the scene, the memo says police found the 911 caller and Officer Thomas Tuminelli with his personal car. It was found that “immediately after the collision occurred, a plain-clothed Officer Tuminelli exited his vehicle with his personally owned pistol in his hand.”

A corporal on scene told the 911 caller how to file a complaint with the Office of Police Oversight, according to the memo, and a complainant contact form was also done.

Internal Affairs also got dash cam videos from both the 911 caller and Tuminelli’s car, which showed that “Officer Tuminelli was driving recklessly in the vicinity of numerous motorists, and that he violated numerous traffic laws,” according to the memo. Some of the traffic laws include reckless driving, tailgating, speeding and brake checking.

After the 911 caller rear ended Tuminelli, the memo says the dash cam footage showed Tuminelli jumping out of his car and “brandishing his firearm.”

Tuminelli’s suspension started last week on Nov. 11 and will last through Jan. 9.