The Baltimore police officer arrested in a traffic altercation in Bel Air last week is accused of throwing a cup of tobacco juice at two motorists and flashing a Glock handgun at them, according to new details from arrest documents.
Robert G. Cirello, a decorated seven-year veteran of the city Police Department and a member of its SWAT team, was off duty when he turned right into a northbound lane of Emmorton Road about 12:30 p.m. May 8. The driver of second car, who felt he cut them off, honked at Cirello, according to police documents.
Cirello, 30, of Abingdon, then stopped his sport utility vehicle, and as the second car slowed down and attempted to pass, Cirello tossed a cup of tobacco juice through its open windows, striking the driver and another occupant, they told police. The men allege that Cirello pointed a black handgun at them before driving away, court documents said.
When state police later stopped Cirello's vehicle near Routes 24 and 1, they noticed a black .40-caliber Glock pistol protruding from his waistband and arrested him without incident. Cirello, who is licensed to carry a weapon, admitted throwing the tobacco juice but denied pointing the handgun, documents say.
Cirello, a New Jersey native and former paramedic who responded to the scene of the collapsed Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, won a departmental commendation and was invited to the Maryland governor's mansion after being shot in the line of duty in Patterson Park in September 2006. He served in Baltimore's Southeastern District for five years.
Cirello, who did not respond to messages seeking comment, was charged with two counts each of first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. He was released on $20,000 bond. A court date is scheduled for June 4. Cirello is suspended from the department until the criminal and departmental investigations are complete.
"The commissioner takes these kinds of matters extremely seriously," said Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Baltimore City Police. "The department is committed to seeing how the legal process plays itself out, of course, but behavior of the kind alleged will not be tolerated."
