Cal State University Cop Under Investigation After Pulling Gun On Fellow Officer Over Mask Policy
A Cal State University cop is under investigation after pulling a gun on a fellow officer at the San Bernardino campus over its mask policy.
The incident is alleged to have happened on campus on September 15 and was caught on surveillance video showing four police officers standing around holding a conversation. The clip then shows one of the officers withdrawing his firearm and pointing it at another officer for approximately one second.
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The officer who had the gun pointed at him has since retained an attorney, filed an internal complaint against his sergeant, and filed a report with San Bernardino police. The lawyer, Tristan Pelayes explains, “Everybody had just gotten to work, and the sergeant in question was telling my client that the officers needed to enforce the (COVID-19) mask requirement on campus. My client questioned the authority for that. For instance, if we were to arrest somebody or escort somebody off the campus, what is our legal authority for that? Apparently, that conversation led to the sergeant losing his temper, and ultimately pulling a gun on my client.”
Currently, the SBPD are investigating as a misdemeanor charge for brandishing a weapon, however Pelayes says it should be treated as a felony charge for assault with a deadly weapon. He says, “For brandishing, I could have, for instance, a gun in my waistband. And (if) I lift up my shirt just to show you I have a gun, I just brandished a gun. But if I pull that gun out and actively point it at you, now that turns into an assault.”
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