A video is going viral on Facebook showing an off-duty Los Angeles police officer pulling out a gun and firing as he struggles to arrest an unarmed boy who appears to be about 14.
The incident took place Tuesday in Anaheim, which is in Orange County, so the cop was completely out of his jurisdiction.
The student being arrested can be heard saying he is not even sure the man is a cop and the students witnessing the arrest are also not sure. Some are even saying they have called police.
At one point, other students begin to defend their classmate by pushing the man off him, which is when he pulls out his gun and fires in what appears to be a negligent discharge.
Luckily, nobody was struck. At no point did the man ever pull out a badge.
Eventually, uniformed cops arrive and handcuff the boy and pat the man down, but he is not arrested.
According to the Los Angeles Times:
Because the police officer used his gun, homicide detectives were assigned to the case and interviewed witnesses at the scene.
The names of the two teens arrested were not released because they are juveniles. One was booked on suspicion of battery and making criminal threats, and the other on suspicion of assault and battery.
It’s unclear what led to the dispute.
Wyatt said the off-duty officer is cooperating with the inquiry and has not been arrested. His name was not released.
The video was posted to the Mediatakeout Facebook page with the following description:
14 Year Old Latino Gets Into ARGUMENT . . . With Off Duty Police Officer . .. And The Cop Pulls Out His Gun . . . And Starts SHOOTING AT THE KIDS!!! (All This . . . Over An ARGUMENT?????)
The video was posted this morning and is quickly approaching a million views.
UPDATE: The incident took place after the cop was upset with the students walking across his lawn, according to the Orange County Register.
UPDATE II: The LAPD cops lives near Loara High School and is accused of initially grabbing a girl for walking on his property, which led to the boy to intervene on her behalf. That was when the cop turned on him.
The cop’s name has not been released, but his first name is apparently Kevin, according to KTLA.
Below is a Facebook post from a girl who said she witnessed the incident.
UPDATE III: Below is a new video that shows two videos side-by-side of the incident.
UPDATE IV: The kid’s name is Christian Dorscht and he has been released from jail. His stepfather is a cop, but it is not known for which agency yet. Hundreds of protesters are standing in front of the cop’s house tonight.
His name has not been released but LAPD says he has been placed on 72-hour paid administrative leave.
