Video Of Fairfax Officers Pointing Guns At Man At IHOP Goes Viral

FALLS CHURCH, VA — Two Fairfax County police officers are seen in a cellphone video pointing their weapons and shouting at a person who is filming other officers who appear to be detaining a suspect.

The video, which contains language that may be offensive to some people, went viral on social media on Monday. The video shows the person filming walking toward a group of police officers who appear to be detaining someone.

An officer notices the person filming, draws her weapon and begins approaching him.

"Why are you pointing a gun at me?" the person filming asks.

"You have a weapon, sir," the officer says.

"No weapon, no weapon," the person says.

The officer orders him to get down on his knees, as another officer with his weapon drawn approaches and begins shouting at the person filming with his cellphone to stay on the grown.

Patch contacted FCPD who said that the incident took place Saturday night in the Falls Church area of the county.

Around 7 p.m., a group of three to four juveniles entered the IHOP at 6655 Arlington Blvd. Police say that one of the group threatened the hostess while another lifted his shirt, revealing what was reported to be a handgun in his waistband.

The group left the restaurant but later returned and tried to coax the employee outside and into the parking lot, police say. When officers arrived on the scene, they stopped two people but did not find any weapons.

"While detaining them, a third subject, who the officers believed to be involved, approached with something in his hands," according to the incident report. "Due to the nature of the call and not locating a weapon, officers ordered the subject to the ground at gunpoint. Officers determined the juvenile was holding a cell phone and filming."

Police detained the three juveniles, before releasing them to their parents. A detective from the Criminal Investigation Division was assigned to investigate the incident, according to police.

Following departmental procedure for incidents involving officers pointing firearms, this incident is under review, according to the report.