Protests erupted in Southern California Wednesday night after a video surfaced appearing to show an off-duty LAPD police officer firing his gun during a scuffle with a group of teens.
(FOX)- Protesters demonstrated outside the officer’s home in Anaheim before taking to the streets, officials said. The rally shut down a major intersection in the city. Anaheim police issued a tactical alert and said they were prepared to make arrests.
The incident occurred on Tuesday. Authorities responded to reports of a fight between a man and several teens.
The man was later identified as the police officer and he “discharged his firearm” and detained at least one of them, Sgt. Daron Wyatt, of the Anaheim police department, said.
Wyatt said that the video “picks up several houses down from where the initial contact was made.” He said the officer in the video had been dealing with teens walking across his lawn for months.
“Yesterday, he sees the kids walking on the lawn and he says, ‘Hey, guys, please walk on the sidewalk,’” Wyatt told KTTV. He said that prompted a chorus of epithets from some of the teens.
The LAPD said it is investigating the incident. The officer was placed on administrative leave. Two of the boys were arrested and release to their parents, Anaheim police said.
A dispute has now ensued over what the teen actually said to the officer on the video. Wyatt said the officer moved to detain the teen because he threatened to shoot the officer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0138UfB30yY