The incident unfolded earlier on in the day at roughly 10:36 a.m. local time outside of a McDonald's restaurant in White Oak, an unincorporated area of Montgomery County. A statement from MCPD states that officers were dispatched to the area after receiving reports that four African-American men were loitering outside of the establishment.
Once police arrived on the scene, Barry Tucker, one of the four men apprehended, began livestreaming the interaction, remarking throughout the broadcast that officers were harassing the group and that they'd done nothing wrong and were just waiting to be picked up for work.
"The matter brought to our attention today is disturbing and contrary to our department's values and our overarching mission to fairly and impartially serve our community," reads the statement released late Thursday along with the bodycam footage.
"The statements observed on the social media video clip are contrary to our extensive training curriculum that includes implicit bias training and other training programs to ensure fair, unbiased, and non-discriminatory policing in our community."
"We sincerely regret the disturbing nature of this video. We understand the pain such language causes the entire community," it adds.
The matter is still under investigation. Police did issue two citations for marijuana possession, and all four men were cited for trespassing. It's unclear if the officer has been placed on suspension during the review.