Milwaukee police were taunted by a reckless driver while the officers were recovering a stolen vehicle earlier this weekend, and a witnesses captured it on video.
The incident happened Sunday after police were called about stolen vehicle near a Milwaukee corner, WISN-TV reports. Officers were parked in their cruiser while they waited for towing service to arrive and take the recovered vehicle away.
In cellphone video shot by passersby, a car is seen speeding up alongside the police vehicle before spinning out by the cruiser. The car then appears to pull up on the sidewalk by the cruiser and cut off another vehicle before going back the way it came.
Once the car had driven away, an officer exits the cruiser and talks to the people shooting the video. The officer can be heard explaining that backup officers had been called.
Acting Police Chief Jeffrey Norman praised his officers and how they handled the incident after seeing the footage.
"I know that that situation was very disturbing to see," he told WISN-TV. "What I was really proud of is how that officer reacted. Back in the day, you might see some type of unprofessional language to people who were taping. Or you might have seen officers getting frustrated with individuals who were misbehaving in front of them. There was restraint, professionalism and explanation."