[Forgotten Amendments]

Unless the driver reeked of the smell of alcohol or a pile of empty beer cans rolled out when he opened the door, the off duty cop was not acting properly.

So, that WOULD have excused beating an old man? Or ANYONE????

[old curmudgeon]

That is not what I intended to imply.

The cop should not make arresting someone his first priority in an accident scene. He should first determine whether the accident victim needs medical attention and if so work on that problem first.

Whether an arrest requires force is another topic all together.

In other words, in this particular case if he had fulfilled his first duty violence would never occurred.