ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A St. Petersburg police officer resigned Tuesday after cell phone video showed him using a racial slur.
- Officer Michael Naples resigned Tuesday
- Resident: Cell phone video showed Naples using slur
- Levonte Daniels says he appreciates department's response
The Police Department confirmed Tuesday that Officer Michael Naples, who had been a probationary officer since July 2017, stepped down from his position.
"Overnight, a cell phone video showing a St. Petersburg Police officer using a racial slur came to the department's attention," the Police Department said in a news release.
Resident Levonte Daniels is the one who recorded the conversation including the slur. It was later discovered on social media.
"It hurt, literally. It really hurt," Daniels said. "It's not the first time I've been called that word. So, it didn't hurt because I was called that word. It hurt because that was a police officer."
Daniels said there was "no doubt" that the officer used the n-word.
"Once I told him I got him on camera, I'm pretty sure he knew had messed up," Daniels said. "So, the fact that he resigned is pretty much evidence to what I said he did."
Police Chief Anthony Holloway said Naples would have been fired if he didn't resign.
"We will not tolerate any officers using any type of racial slurs, or swearing at a scene, using profanity," Holloway said.
Holloway said Naples apologized for his use of profanity and the slur.
Daniels said he appreciated how the Police Department responded to the issue.
Spectrum Bay News reporter Josh Rojas will have more on this story during our evening newscasts.