Off-duty P.G. police officer arrested, accused of threatening tow truck driver

Anne Arundel County police arrested an off-duty Prince George's County police officer over the weekend after he menaced a tow truck driver with a handgun, according to charging documents and witness statements.

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(Photo: Anne Arundel County police mugshot)

Officers were called to Bill's Liquor and Lounge in Odenton about 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4, for the report of a fight. Investigators learned a man was threatening a tow truck driver with a handgun.

I'"m thinking, He's gonna shoot me. He's gonna shoot me," the tow truck driver, Jibri Qayyum, recalled Tuesday in an interview with ABC 7's Brad Bell.

Police police confronted the armed man, who informed them he was an off-duty Prince George's County police officer.

The officer, identified by police as 34-year-old Nathaniel Daniels III, was disarmed and handcuffed.

Qayyum says the off-duty officer was summoned to the scene by a friend whose car had been towed earlier.

"{H}e was really irate, forcing me to do whatever he wanted me to do. 'I want you get this car back. We're not paying for anything,'" Qayyum recalled Daniels saying.

Daniels identified himself as a police officer, but did not state he was from another jurisdiction, Qayyum said. The officer demanded that his friend's car be returned.

Qayyum, who was in the driver's seat of his tow truck, says Daniels reached inside the vehicle to grab the keys. The two struggled and Daniels pulled a handgun and placed it against the driver's head, according to Qayyum, who said the officer threatened to shoot him if he touched him again.

According to charging documents, Daniels was able to remove the keys and Qayyum's cell phone. When the Anne Arundel County officer arrived and disarmed Daniels, the off-duty officer said he had displayed his gun, but claimed to have never removed it from its holster, according to charging documents. But the Anne Arundel officer was able to review surveillance video, showing Daniels had drawn his weapon, the documents stated.

Daniels was charged with first- and second-degree assault.  He is free on bond and has been suspended with pay and has his gun and badge taken. Daniels is scheduled to have a review hearing in the next few days, which will determine if he's placed on no-pay status.

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