Video Of Off-Duty LAPD Officer Firing Gun Triggers Protests

LOS ANGELES, CA — Hundreds protested in Anaheim Wednesday night where video surfaced of an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer firing a gun during a scrum with middle- and high-schoolers over their habit of walking on his lawn. Two of the children were arrested, and the officer was placed on leave during an investigation of the incident.

A few hundred people reportedly protested outside the officer's home before taking to city streets, and police were in the process of making arrests after giving dispersal orders. Protesters allegedly vandalized several homes and vehicles, including that of the officer involved in the shooting. Anaheim police say 24 protesters, including juveniles, who were protesting near the LAPD officer's home have been arrested.

The video posted to YouTube shows a throng of mostly Latino teenagers yelling at a middle-aged white man as he grips onto a struggling 13-year-old. The teens can be heard asking the man to let the boy go and asking someone to call the police. At one point, the boy involved in the scuffle can be heard saying he doesn't believe the man is an officer. Another teen barrels into the officer, knocking him down, and during the commotion, the man pulls a gun from his waistband and appears to fire the weapon, sending the group of onlookers running.

The officer is on administrative leave, according to the LAPD, whose Force Investigation Division is investigating the shooting and will review all video of the incident.

Two of the boys were arrested and released to their parents, according to Anaheim police.

Officers responded about 2:40 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a fight between a man and several boys and learned en route that the man was an off-duty LAPD officer who had "discharged his firearm and was detaining at least one of the juveniles," said Sgt. Daron Wyatt of the Anaheim Police Department, which is also investigating.

The video of the conflict has generated a great deal of interest. Wyatt said it "picks up several houses down from where the initial contact was made."

For several months, the officer has been dealing with local teens walking across his lawn, Wyatt said.

"Yesterday, he sees the kids walking on the lawn and he says, 'Hey, guys, please walk on the sidewalk,'" Wyatt said.

That prompted a chorus of epithets from some of the juveniles, Wyatt said.

What's in dispute is what a 13-year-old said to the officer. The officer said he moved to detain the teen because he allegedly said he would shoot the officer, Wyatt said.

The boy's mother, however, has told reporters her son told the officer he intended to "sue you," Wyatt said.

On the video, the boy is heard insisting he said "sue you," not "shoot you."

At some point, another boy, a 15-year-old, barreled into the two over some bushes, knocking the officer down. The officer held on to the 13-year-old, and as he was getting up other onlookers appear to converge on the officer in a menacing fashion, but then they scamper away in fear when a shot rings out.

The 13-year-old's mother, in an interview with ABC7, said, "That (the gunshot) was the most frightening part of it all. What if that bullet would have been, you know, I don't know, a couple of inches closer."

The woman, identified by Telemundo as Alma Jimenez, added, "In reality he was saying I'm going to sue you. You keep hitting me, you're hurting me. I'm going to sue you."

"I didn't see him being aggressive. I saw him being as calm as he possibly could. I saw him trying to reason with the adult."

Telemundo identified the boy as Christian Dorscht, who told a reporter, "I thought I was going to die... I thought he was going to shoot me because he was mad... I said I was going to sue him."

The 15-year-old told reporters, "I just saw a guy just holding a little kid, so I just wanted to help the kid out. So I tried to help him, move them apart."

The LAPD officer has been reassigned to a desk job, which is routine in an officer-involved shooting.

The 15-year-old was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of misdemeanor battery and assault and then released to his parents, Wyatt said.

The 13-year-old was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats and was released to his parents Wednesday, Wyatt said.

Anaheim Police Department Chief Raul Quezada planned to hold a news conference at 1 p.m. Thursday to provide an update on the investigation, Wyatt said.

Mayor Tom Tait said he will join Quezada at Thursday's news conference and said the city is committed to a thorough, impartial investigation of Tuesday's shooting.

"Like many in the community, I've seen the video, and I'm very concerned about what it shows," Tait said. "Anaheim is committed to a full and impartial investigation. Our city will move forward without delay."

Once the investigation is completed the results will be forwarded to the Orange County District Attorney's Office for review, Wyatt said.

"The complete investigation will be reviewed by the chief of police and the Board of Police Commissioners to determine whether the use of deadly force complied with LAPD's policies and procedures," according to an LAPD statement.

Jennifer Rojas, community engagement and policy advocate at the ACLU of Southern California, said the organization is "deeply disturbed" by reports and video of what occurred.

"The ACLU calls on the LAPD to investigate the matter fully and take appropriate action in regard to the officer," she said.

"It also calls on the Anaheim Police Department to provide a full explanation of why, in an altercation between the police officer and youths, the youths were arrested but not the officer who fired his gun.

"An officer, even off duty, has an obligation to follow the law and protect public safety, rather than threaten it. The LAPD officer's actions on the video are grossly irresponsible."

There was no immediate response from the Anaheim Police Department to an email from City News Service asking why the officer was not arrested.

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo: Youtube screengrab.