Miami police president suspended. He says over a blog post alleging he pulled gun on man

Miami’s police union president said Thursday he has been relieved of duty over an anonymous complaint linked to a blog post that alleges he pulled a gun on a man he met on a dating app who tried to shake him down for money.

Tommy Reyes, a 15-year sergeant who is openly gay and the head of Miami’s Fraternal Order of Police, said the city did not detail the complaint. He believes it’s over the blog post, an unverified report that claims the incident took place in Jacksonville, but then later says Tallahassee.

Reyes declined to address details about the incident, saying only he was the victim of a crime and “I’ve been victimized again.” He has not been charged with any crime related to the allegation.

Reyes, 36, is serving his second term as president of the powerful police union, which is currently in negotiations with the city over a new contract for its officers. On Friday morning, Miami Police released a statement saying only that the union president had been relieved of duty pending an investigation from internal affairs.

Reyes said he didn’t receive a formal letter from the city, hear from Interim Police Chief Manuel Morales or any of his top brass. He added that he was informed about being relieved of duty by internal affairs and wasn’t offered an explanation.

The blog post alleged Reyes was under investigation over an encounter with a man he met on a dating app a few weeks ago. The blog alleges that the man figured out he was an police officer, “threatened to blow his cover” and demanded he take him on a shopping spree. The post appears to mix up cities, saying the incident was in both Jacksonville and Tallahassee.

Reyes confirmed he is being investigated by Tallahassee police, but said he couldn’t discuss what happened because it was an open investigation. Police in Jacksonville and Tallahassee could not immediately be reached for comment.

Miami Herald Staff Writer David Ovalle contributed to this report.