Tempe police officer accused of holding Black man at gunpoint without cause

Officer previously investigated for

TEMPE, Ariz. (KYMA/KECY) - The Tempe Police Department has launched an investigation into an officer's conduct after he reportedly held a Black man at gunpoint while searching for a white suspect.

Police were called to a hotel after someone pulled a gun on an employee. The manager described the suspect to Officer Ronald Kerzaya as a white man wearing a black shirt and white pants.

Video shows Officer Kerzaya walking to an exit with his gun drawn. It then shows a Black man come of the doorway. The man works at the hotel. Video shows Kerzaya holding the man at gunpoint until he could prove his employment. That took about two-minutes.

The suspect in the gun incident was never located.

The police department has placed Kerzaya on administrative duty while it investigates. This is the second time in a year, it's looked into the officer's on-duty behavior. Last year, he was involved in the controversial tasing of a Black man.

Kerzaya has been with the department for nearly four-years.