Massachusetts police: Officer shot own patrol car, staged crime scene

MILLIS, Mass., Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Police in Massachusetts said an officer is facing prosecution after he allegedly fired his gun at his own police cruiser and burned it to stage a crime scene.

Millis Police said they launched a manhunt Tuesday after an officer reported a white man in a dark pickup truck had fired shots at him while he was driving, causing his patrol car to spin around, crash into a tree and catch fire.

However, Sgt. William Dwyer said investigators determined the officer's own gun was used to shoot the holes in the police cruiser.

"We have determined that the officer's story was fabricated," Dwyer told CNN. "Specifically that he fired shots at his own cruiser as part of a plan to concoct a story that he was fired upon."

The officer was identified Friday as Bryan Johnson, a rookie part time officer who was scheduled to begin training soon for a position as a full-time Millis Police officer.

"It's hard for me personally. Bryan was a friend, and when this is all over, I wish him the best," Dwyer told the Boston Globe. "But we are not going to allow anyone who violates the public trust or commits a crime to receive special treatment."

Dwyer said Johnson was placed on on paid administrative leave pending his official termination. He said police are seeking charges of misleading a police investigation, providing false information to emergency services, malicious destruction of property and unlawful discharge of a firearm.