Republic staff reports

Phoenix police arrested one of their own Tuesday night after he was accused of pointing a gun at occupants of another vehicle during a traffic altercation.

Officer Jeremy Sweet, 51, was booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of aggravated assault, a Class3 felony.

Sweet was driving suspects in an unmarked prisoner-transport van Monday afternoon when the skirmish occurred near Central Avenue and Lincoln Street in downtown Phoenix, said Sgt. Trent Crump, a police spokesman.

Crump said it appeared both vehicles were trying to get around one another and Sweet "lectured the driver about the driver's behavior" while pointing the gun.

"The Phoenix Police Department takes this incident very seriously and has taken swift and appropriate action to help ensure public trust remains high," Crump said. "We understand our role in the community of upholding the law and anything less will never be tolerated."

Sweet has been a Phoenix police officer since July 2007 and is assigned to the department's Central Booking Detail.