A Picayune Police officer allegedly involved in an off-duty altercation has been relieved of duty and summoned to municipal court in relation to a simple assault that occurred while he was off-duty.
Chandler Richardson, 29, of 1300 South Beech Street, was issued a summons to appear in Picayune Municipal Court on August 16 in relation to an alleged incident that involved a simple assault and hit and run accident on June 23, Assistant Chief Jeremy Magri said.
Picayune Police officers were dispatched to a convenience store on Highway 11 north at 4:10 p.m. that day in reference to the incident. Dispatch advised officers that two male subjects allegedly got into a physical altercation in the parking lot, Magri said.
Dispatch was later advised that one subject, identified as Richardson, fled the scene before officers arrived.
Officers spoke with a complainant who stated he got into a verbal argument with Richardson that turned physical, Magri said.
Richardson allegedly attempted to strike the complainant with a closed fist, but was only able to hit him with glancing blows as the complainant attempted to run away, Magri said.
The complainant said he then observed Richardson enter his vehicle and back into a food delivery truck before leaving the scene. Both the complainant and the owner of the food delivery truck filed charges against Richardson, Magri said. The summons was issued July 11 and was served to Richardson when he came to the police station, Magri said. Richardson was off-duty and in his personal vehicle at the time of the incident but is no longer employed by the Picayune Police Department, Magri said.
Under new state recommendations, Richardson was not booked into the criminal justice center based on the lack of reasonable cause that he would not abide by the summons, Magri said.
“The Picayune Police Department does not condone this type of behavior by police personnel. Due to that fact he is no longer employed by the Picayune Police Department,” Magri said.