An off-duty LAPD officer has been placed on administrative leave after firing a round during an altercation with a group of teenagers in an Anaheim, Ca., neighborhood, according to NBC News.
Several videos of the incident surfaced online, sparking protests outside the officer’s home. Twenty-four people have been arrested.
The video begins after the initial altercation. It shows the officer holding a 13-year-old boy by the collar with several other teenagers gathered around. The situation remains relatively calm until two other young males attack and surround the officer. He falls back into a hedge, gets up, and fires one round into the ground.
Sgt. Daron Wyatt, an Anaheim police spokesman, told NBC Los Angeles that the officer has been in an “ongoing dispute” with “a number of juveniles who continually walk across his property.”
“He’s asked them to stay off the property,” but on Tuesday, “it happened again, and it led to a verbal confrontation between the off-duty officer and a group of individuals,” Wyatt said.
The officer and the teenager can be heard in the video arguing about what started last week’s incident. The teenager claims the officer called one of the girl’s in his group a derogatory name. The officer says that the boy threatened to “shoot” him, while the boy claims he said “sue.”
Wyatt said the officer was attempting to hold the boy until the Anaheim PD could arrive.
The officer’s lawyer, Attorney Larry Hanna, said his client feared for his life and was “trained to react the way he did.”
“This started with a young man with his hands in his pocket, stating what the officer heard was, ‘I’m going to shoot you, I’m going to shoot you,'” Hanna said.
The 13-year-old’s grandmother, Jennifer Dorscht, disagrees. She told NBC that her grandson was simply sticking up for one of his friends.
“It’s just a terrible situation,” she said at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where the boy was examined. “It could’ve been handled completely in a different manner. He’s a good kid. He does all the right things. He has a good heart. I think that’s why he stuck up for this girl.”
No one was seriously injured, but the 13-year-old was arrested and taken to the hospital. He was released later the day.
The LAPD hasn’t released the name of the officer, but they’re launching an internal investigation into his actions. The city of Anaheim is also investigating the incident.
Leave up to the Clinton news network to not tell the full story just to paint an Leo in the worst light possible
I saw a better video of this. If I was attacked like this officer was (several teens attacked and pushed this officer) with many others joining in. I would be IN FEAR OF MY LIFE! A warning shot dispersed the GANG ! (DISCHARGING A GUN IN CITY LIMIT’S) It’s maybe saved someone’s life. Maybe just pulling the gun would have stopped this altercation, but the discharge into the ground WOKE THEM UP! I have had to pull my gun. In so doing so saved my ass.
I was born in Calif. Back then children were taught RESPECT. We didn’t have the problems we have now. If I got in trouble at school or a neighbors. (they had paddles in school then) What I got when I got home was 10 times worse! NOW it’s all the schools fault or the neighbors fault. (their poor little angels wouldn’t do anything wrong.) THEY HAVE NO RESPECT FOR ANYONE INCLUDING THEIR PARENTS!
also worth noting is that he sure as hell did not mean to fire that shot witch means his finger was on the trigger while dragging a child off a property that is not his onto his property… what the Duck!!!!!!!!!!!
This casts a poor light on the whole 2A community, that is NOT SAFE nor proper gun practice. a gun is not for scaring stupid children or intimidating american citizens. guns (excluding hunting & sport) are for killing the threat that wishes to kill you and saving your live. pepper spray would have been a better choice, maybe even a taser or call on-duty cops. as a cop he should be held at a higher standard over a “regular” citizen and a “regular” citizen would have been charged with a gun crime(min of reckless discharge, discharge in city limits ect.). A STUPID COP AND A BAD GUN OWNER.
You’re a moron if that’s what you truly think. That herd of”stupid children” was teenage punks surrounding and attacking the off duty cop. Kudos to him for not actually shooting one of them, which he would’ve been completely justified in doing once they rushed him. Educate yourself, mental midget.
had it been me and if the little gang had been asked and told to stay off my property several times and then
attacks in a group there would most certainly been several dead “din do nuffin” teens laying on the ground.
Fucking teens need to get some respect for other people’s property. Need to do some civic duty.
+1 Richard discipline and respect stopped the day schools and parents stopped discipline.
A swift kick in the pants is what they need.
That off duty officer was surrounded by all of those stupid kids and they probably would have hurt or possibly killed him if he did not fire the gun.He did the 100% correct thing to disperse the crowd of unruly children ( THUGS) and not one single brat was hurt.He grabbed the nice little child that damaged his property and called the Police. The rest of them that were not involved should have just gone home. It was absolutely none of their business.No, They all had to gang up on one single person that was protecting his property.
It is amazing to me that we keep hearing parents and community leaders talking about “good kids” who are engaged in illegal, disrespectful, thug like behavior. If any person, especially an adult and property owner, asks you to get off their property and get doing destructive behavior, anyone should comply immediately. They should feel embarrassed to be called out and getting caught. Kids should know they are in more trouble with the parents than anyone else. This speaks to the root of our problems in many areas of our society. My little Johnny can do no wrong…. We don’t need excuses or sad stories about single parent families, it doesn’t change the facts. We get good kids and bads kids from both. It’s about personal responsibility and correct behavior. Sounds like the same problems with our schools too. Go wonder!!!!
Yet ANOTHER liberal half news report. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the ENTIRE STORY?? With what this report shares, I have not idea if what the cop did was right or wrong but with the history of the liberal media my money is backing the cop.
The local news has several reports of these kids damaging property daily, they kicked over pots, graffitied fences and trampled lawns, this officer was totally justified. I just feel he should have been more prepared when confronting these kids.
Another thing, I also feel that was an accidental discharge, he drew from his weak arm (as his firearm was holstered opposite draw) which I believe from the video that gave him a poor grip, all while struggling with this punk causing the negligent discharge. He’s running with the “warning shot” theory because a negligent discharge will lean toward incompetence and he’d be roasted by all sides… again, could have been handled way differently, but I still feel he was in the right.
I continue to wonder why any sane person would want to police anywhere in CA.
The job pays well otherwise there would not be a long line of applicants waiting to get hired.
Maybe the evening news might want to think about just reporting the news and wait before assuming and presenting it as “disturbing”.
It’s sickening, the following morning, all tv stations and radio talk shows had already convicted the officer with “what if it was your kid? nonsense… I said nope, if that was my kid I’d blame myself for being a sh*tty parent. I’ve taught my kids to be respectful towards everyone and their property. Most do not do that anymore.
There are two sides to this episode and no one looks 100% innocent.
The teens need to learn to respect the property owner and stay off his lawn. The court needs to meter out some attitude adjustment medicine to these rowdy teens.
The homeowner cop needs to learn to respect the law instead of using the all too familiar “I fear for my life” to justify his act of violence. In this case he is not a law officer. He is a homeowner and he abuses the police status.
The PD needs to stop that good ole boy practice and apprehend the homeowner for illegally discharging weapon within city limit exactly the same way they would have done had he been a mere citizen like the rest of us. They should discipline their rogue employee instead of shielding him.
YOU DAMN RIGHT!
It’s always the same – “my little Johnny is a good boy and wouldn’t hurt a fly …” – until little Johnny gets in a large gang of his thug friends and preys on weaker people. So I wonder, is this a ‘sanctuary city’ and how any of these knuckleheads are even entitled to be here?
Doesn’t matter, when the douche bag pushed him, at least in my mind, it instantly escalated the situation and put the guy in fear for his life. It’s a wonder none of the idiots were shot.
But of course since we’re dealing with the anti-gun Republic Of Kalifornia we absolutely know who’s rights are being protected here.
if justice is truly blind and balanced both children and home owner would be charged.
Yes, justice is blind, and maybe it’s time to take the blinders off ‘ol Lady Liberty! The anti-gun folks call for more gun control but in my humble opinion the problem lies not with more gun control, but the revolving door justice system we have in our great country. We have enough gun laws on the books and maybe we should try enforcing them better. No matter where you live, you can pick up a news paper any day of the week and read where some previously convicted felon with an arrest record as long as your arm got a slap on the wrist for a crime committed with a firearm, only to get an early release back into to the community to commit an even more heinous crime.
When are we as a society going to demand from our attorney generals, prosecuting attorneys, and judges to slam shut that revolving door of justice? It seems pretty simple to me, you commit a crime with a firearm – robbery, car jacking, whatever – and it’s an automatic felony with an additional 10 years added ON TOP of your sentence. You injure someone during the commission of that felony with a firearm and get an additional 15 years added. You take a human life – you’re done. At a minimum you get life with no parole. Make that a federal law, not a state law. And absolutely NO early releases, even due to “over crowding”. Spend my tax dollars and build more prisons if needed.
And I also think it’s time to roll back the age limitations for prosecutional purposes for adult crimes from 18 to 16 years old, nation wide. If you’re old enough to drive a car you’re old enough to accept responsibility for your actions.
If ‘little johnny’s’ parents won’t take responsibility for raising a child that will respect and appreciate the rules of society and is willing to abide by them, then maybe it’s time to lock his or hers ass up and throw away the key!
Just my .02 cents …
Someone needs to remind the 13-year-old’s gramma, Ms. Douche, to teach the brat and his friends the meaning of “respect for others’ property” before he steps outside.
As usual only criminals have rights while the law abiding citizen is supposed to just let these little a-holes do whatever they want.
Actually he is trained to shoot the person till the threat stops. If he really was in fear for his safety why didn’t he do so. If he had previous experience with this group of numb-nuts why didn’t he just call his buddies on the Anaheim PD and have them handle it? Just a bit out his jurisdiction. If a normal everyday citizen had done this they would be the ones in jail on multiple firearms charges.
Probably never even had the conversation with the little shits parents or grandmother whichever he answered to.
One of my earliest memories is from the day I stepped over a fence and into a neighbors flower garden. I was defying her. “You’re not my daddy…” but she knew him. After the first buttwarming, he dragged me around the neighborhood and explained: This is a fence. That side is hers and this side is everybody elses. That’s a motorcycle. Not yours don’t touch. That’s a pickup truck…
First buttwarming for what you did, second buttwarming for sassing a grownup, third buttwarming for making him look bad… better off just staying on the right side of the fence.
I guess dads don’t do this anymore?
Why do you think granny had to defend the kid? There was no dad to instruct the boy. As for granny’s defense that he was defending his girlfriend, a better defense is to stay off others property. Granny is who empowers punks, along with superiority in numbers to get away with disrespecting adults. Just about every crime committed by juvenile punks is backed up by some granny or aunt or sister saying he is a good boy and would never do anything like that. Last year I saw a mother grab her son by the ear and drag him away from a group of his friends involved in vandalism. Go Mom! It needs to happen to all these budding troublemakers.
And why didn’t the other criminals (from the girl trying to pull the teen from th officers grip to the one that removed his hoody and dropped his gear then with others rusher the Officer and threw punches?
OF course there is a quote from the teens family that he isvsuch a fine upstanding person who does no wrong and the crime condoning press floats that shit out there.