MESA - A Scottsdale police officer who assaulted a cab driver last month is back on the job, only it's a different one.
Officer Chance Lovell, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor assault in Tempe Municipal Court on May 1, according to a clerk of the court. Lovell was accused of screaming at and punching out Omar Abdi, 39, a cab driver originally from Somalia, after a confrontation at a Tempe gas station in April.
If Lovell completes an adult diversion program, the charge will be dismissed, the clerk said.
A Tempe prosecutor will review Lovell's case on Nov. 8, the clerk said. Lovell, who was reassigned to an administrative post after the incident, returned to work as a uniformed officer on May 9, but is no longer a member of the department's canine unit, said Scottsdale police spokeswoman Shawn Sanders.
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Sanders added the department's internal investigation into the incident is ongoing. Tempe police said Lovell smelled of alcohol and had watery eyes when they arrested him at a convenience store on April 11, moments after Abdi stopped the cab.
Abdi said Lovell tried to grab the steering wheel.
Abdi told investigators he drove Lovell around in circles because he wasn't specific about where he wanted to go. During the ride, Abdi told police, Lovell said his brother was killed in Somalia, and that Abdi "should be in chains."
Abdi filed a complaint against Lovell with the Maricopa County chapter of the NAACP in April, claiming Lovell had violated his civil rights by using racial slurs against him. Prior to the incident, Lovell had a clean discipline record in his seven-year career, including seven commendations, three superior performance awards and was nominated for the 2006 Chief's Award of Excellence.
Abdi did not return phone calls seeking comment.
