A tense encounter at the Delray Beach Police Department in Florida has gone viral after a woman recorded an officer allegedly harassing and intimidating her as she tried to file a complaint against him. The video, which runs just over three minutes, shows the woman standing in the department lobby as the officer, identified by Reddit commenters as Sgt. Baer, approaches her repeatedly, attempting to get her to leave.
The woman, however, refuses to back down. She tells him several times that she’s there to speak with the chief of police and won’t discuss the matter with anyone else. Despite her calm but firm tone, the officer moves closer and begins challenging her presence. At one point, he accuses her of “putting the camera in his face,” though the footage shows him closing the distance on her.
As the exchange escalates, the officer calls for backup. Moments later, multiple officers enter the lobby and begin surrounding the woman. Even then, she holds her ground, insisting that the man confronting her is the same officer she came to report; someone she says has been following and antagonizing her since “the other day,” referencing a previous incident that isn’t fully explained in the video.
The footage quickly spread online, reaching Reddit’s “PublicFreakout” community, where thousands of users voiced outrage over what they viewed as blatant intimidation. One of the top comments summed up the general mood: “Hoping that pos cop who should be DE-Escalating… gets fired.” Another added, “Worst he gets will be a suspension with pay,” while one user from Florida quipped, “It’s Florida. He’ll probably get a commendation.”
Many viewers pointed out the alarming lack of de-escalation tactics on display. “If someone is in your lobby to file an internal affairs complaint, you don’t let the subject of that complaint anywhere near them,” one commenter wrote. “Any reasonable supervisor should’ve sent him away the second she showed up.”
Others noted how quickly additional officers arrived, not to protect the citizen filing a complaint, but to back up their colleague. “They were doing all they could not to have her complaint put on paper,” another Redditor said.
While details about the incident remain limited, the clip has reignited online conversations about police accountability and the treatment of civilians who attempt to report misconduct. As one commenter put it bluntly: “Literally any other employer would fire you on the spot if you did this right after meeting with HR.”
As of now, there’s no official follow-up from the Delray Beach Police Department or confirmation of disciplinary action against Sgt. Baer.
