Washington D.C.police have launched an internal affairs investigation into statements made by a police officer who responded to reports that Chris Brown had punched a man outside a hotel.
The investigation centers on a disputed conversation between the officer and an unidentified acquaintance of Brown.
The acquaintance reported being told by the officer that the alleged victim said Brown never hit him, according to the police records. The officer was then interviewed by detectives and denied having even spoken with the acquaintance. However, a uniformed Secret Service officer at the scene told detectives that he overheard the conversation with the officer and confirmed the acquaintance’s story. The accuser also denied having told anyone that Brown never struck him, the documents state.
An Associated Press reporter who had previously asked the police department about that conversation was contacted this week by an internal affairs investigator assigned to the probe. The investigator confirmed a review was underway.
“We are aware of the discrepancy among witness statements in the Chris Brown case. This is not uncommon in cases with multiple witnesses involved. We have received no complaint of misconduct on the part of any officer in this matter,” Police Chief Cathy Lanier said in a written statement.
In an interview Thursday, Lanier added, “Nobody has accused anybody of lying. One person says one thing, one person says something else. Nobody has made an allegation that an officer is lying or covering anything up.”
Brown was charged with assault after a man said Brown and his bodyguard punched him after he tried to get into a picture while the singer was taking with two other individuals.