Police officer accused of sexually assaulting woman during traffic stop

Police officer accused of sexually assaulting woman during traffic stop

A Maryland police officer has been suspended after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop, his department said.

The driver claimed that the officer was on duty, in uniform and in a marked cruiser when he sexually assaulted her around 1 a.m. Thursday, Prince George’s County Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan said at a Monday news conference.

The woman came forward several hours later, and “we immediately launched a special investigation response team that is part of our internal affairs division,” Donelan said.

That team has been investigating since Thursday, Donelan said, and police are still collecting a “ton of evidence” and interviewing witnesses. Donelan did not say if that evidence includes body-camera or dash-camera footage.

Within hours of the woman’s coming forward, the accused officer was suspended with pay, Donelan said, and his gun, badge and cruiser were confiscated.

The officer has not been named. Donelan also would not say how long the officer has been at the department.

ABC News’ Sarah Shales contributed to this report.

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