A Baltimore Police officer has been suspended without pay and charged with second-degree attempted murder after a video of him chasing a man with his cruiser went viral. He was also charged with first and second-degree assault, reckless driving, and misconduct in office.

The video, which began circulating on the internet near the end of October, shows Officer Robert A. Parks chasing and running over a person with his Baltimore police vehicle. The chase, which at times veered off the roadway and into the grass, ultimately ended with Parks crashing into a fence at a woman’s home.

Parks, who had been with the Baltimore Police Department since 2020, was initially suspended from police duty and working in an administrative capacity, according to CBS News. An internal affairs investigation, including a review of Officer Parks’ body camera, resulted in his indictment, which carries a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.

“What is seen in this video is not only disturbing, but alarming,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. “This is not how we expect our officers to behave, and this incident does not reflect the values or standards of the Baltimore Police Department. Our department continues to work hard to rebuild trust and change the narrative of our department and our city.”

What caused the officer to chase and try to hit a man with his police cruiser?

Initially, Baltimore police did not share any information about what caused the disturbing incident. The new indictment sheds some light now.

According to CBS 21 News, the incident began when Parks exited his police vehicle and approached several people standing on the sidewalk near a bar. He informed them that they needed to disperse, and they began to walk away.

Parks then reportedly got back into his police cruiser and drove a short distance before stopping along the curb to the right of the first person who had left the liquor store corner. He then called the person over to him and got out of his vehicle again.

“Don’t make it worse. I’m going to be straight up with you. I’m going to be straight up with you. You gotta come…” Parks can be heard telling the man while indicating that he wanted the man to approach him.

When the man refused, Parks told him, “All right, I’m gonna call the dogs and come get you.” After returning to his vehicle, the officer radioed that he had “one running, adult male… in the alley.”

That’s when he began chasing the man with his police cruiser at a high rate of speed. When the man ran into a grassy area, Parks hit him with the cruiser. He continued to wildly chase after the man through the alley before crashing into a chain-link fence.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott released a statement about the officer’s arrest

“Immediately following this incident, the officer’s police powers were suspended, and on Monday, he was suspended without pay. This morning, he was charged by State’s Attorney Ivan Bates with attempted murder,” he said.

“This officer’s actions were unacceptable and completely at odds with how we expect our public servants to act. We are thankful to our partners in the State’s Attorney’s office for their work, and will be closely following the outcome of this trial. If convicted, the officer will be fired immediately, in accordance with the law.”