(Video) Off duty police officer pulls gun out on man over paid Mentos
Los Angeles, California: According to The Washington Post a Buena Vista off duty police officer pulled his weapon out on a man at a gas station, after thinking the man has stolen the mint candy. The victim Jose Arreola, was at the Gas station purchasing the Mentos which is what the off duty officer did not see, when the officer drew his gun to the customer yelling “Give that back, police officer”. In the video you can see the terrified victim who now says he feared for his life, telling the officer that he did purchase the candy. When the sales clerk returns to the front, the police officer asks the clerk more than once if it was true that the man purchased the Mentos and the Cashier repeated “yes”, that the man did buy the Mentos. The officer then apologized to the man. The off duty police officer thought he had seen man maybe stealing a pack of Mentos, and felt the need to draw his weapon. The victim, Jose Arreola says he thought he was going to die over a “$1.19 pack of Mentos”.
The police department released this statement:
“In an effort to be transparent, I am sharing an article with you that was in the OC Register today regarding an off-duty incident that occurred involving one of our police officers. The video of the incident clearly shows our officer drawing his gun, but not pointing it, at a subject he allegedly believed was committing a theft inside the mini-mart of a Chevron gas station in Buena Park. We were aware of this incident after it occurred and we immediately began conducting an administrative investigation into the conduct of the officer involved. The complainant also filed a formal complaint against the officer alleging misconduct and also retained an attorney. I want you to know that after I watched the video I found it to be disturbing, as I’m sure it was to you. However, because there is an ongoing personnel investigation and potential litigation pending against the city, I am unable to discuss the details of our investigation. I can definitely assure you that our investigation will be thorough and if the officer is found to be in violation of any policies and procedures, he will be held accountable. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
The off duty police clearly abused his authority and took it too far….
Photo Credit: Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)