An allegedly tipsy off-duty police officer, a parking attendant and a dispute over parking validation. These led to a precarious situation in which Richmond Sgt. Anthony Papaleo finds himself.
Wayne Spencer, a 55-year-old downtown parking attendant, accuses Papaleo of assault and using a racial slur against him during an argument at a downtown parking garage. Papaleo counters that Spencer is the one who attacked him. Since the Feb. 19 incident, both men have filed arrest warrants against each other for assault with the Richmond magistrates' office.
In a warrant filed Feb. 21, Spencer says Papaleo got angry after being informed that without the ticket he'd have to pony up the full $12 parking fee. According to court documents, Papaleo allegedly began yelling threats and obscenities. Among them, a racial slur: "N—-er, I will shoot you."
Papaleo allegedly exited the vehicle and grabbed the parking attendant by the chest, while a passenger inside the car exited and started flashing a police badge. In his statement to the magistrate, Spencer says that Papaleo smelled of alcohol and that his eyes were "bloodshot."
