By PoliceOne Staff
HOUSTON — A SWAT officer inspired a viral hashtag after responding to a pursuit while wearing a t-shirt and plaid shorts.
On Thursday, a man led police on a nearly two-hour pursuit throughout Houston after he threatened his wife with a gun, KTRK reports. A SWAT team eventually boxed the suspect’s vehicle in.
When officers surrounded the suspect, many people on social media took notice of the officer’s casual outfit.
“Casual Thursday for the SWAT team,” one Twitter user said.
Casual Thursday for the SWAT team pic.twitter.com/rTY4zuIyC7
— Stephen Uzick (@stephenuzick) March 22, 2018
Cops get to wear plaid shorts??
— Wendy (@daisyelf) March 22, 2018
The officer’s attire inspired the viral hashtag #casualcop.
The attention led many to wonder who the casual cop is. KTRK reported that the officer’s name is Senior Officer Steven Hamala.
Hamala said he was off work that day but on call. As he was dropping his daughter off at daycare, he learned about the pursuit.
The LEO said he typically has time to change, but in this case, he had to respond as quickly as possible. Hamala said the social media attention for his attire that day is “pretty funny.”
As for the plaid shorts, Hamala said they may never be seen again.
“I’ve got a plan for those shorts. They’ll be retired in some fashion,” Hamala said.