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Video of officer-teen encounter stirs anger

Off-duty cop fired gun into ground during dispute

By AMY TAXIN and BRIAN MELLEY, Associated Press
Published: February 23, 2017, 10:26pm
3 Photos
A vandalized truck and broken windows are seen Thursday in a home in Anaheim, Calif. An off-duty California officer who didn't want teens walking across his lawn fired his gun during a struggle with a 13-year-old boy and other youths, igniting unruly protests after video of the fight surfaced and two boys were arrested.
A vandalized truck and broken windows are seen Thursday in a home in Anaheim, Calif. An off-duty California officer who didn't want teens walking across his lawn fired his gun during a struggle with a 13-year-old boy and other youths, igniting unruly protests after video of the fight surfaced and two boys were arrested. (Nick Ut/Associated Press) Photo Gallery

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Anaheim officials pressed for calm Thursday after a night of raucous protests that followed an incident in which an off-duty policeman scuffled in his front yard with a boy, drew a weapon and fired a shot into the ground after another teen pushed him over a hedge and others surrounded him.

Mayor Tom Tait said he was “deeply disturbed” and angered by what he saw on video of the incident, but he also denounced violence and damage caused by demonstrators.

“The video shows an adult wrestling with a 13-year-old kid, and ultimately firing a gun,” Tait said. “This has been a blow to our community.”

No one was hurt in the scuffle on a residential street that started Tuesday after the Los Angeles officer took action in an ongoing dispute with students walking after school. The officer had reported the problem in the past to local police, said Anaheim Sgt. Daron Wyatt.

Police Chief Raul Quezada defended his department’s decision to arrest two teens, but not the officer, who detained the 13-year-old boy after believing the boy threatened him. The investigation continues and the chief wouldn’t rule out charges against anyone.

Videos shot from different angles and posted on YouTube show the officer clenching the boy’s sweatshirt and pulling him across the lawn as they argued about what precipitated the incident.

The 13-year-old believed the officer, who was not named, had cursed at a teenage girl who had walked across his lawn in the area of single-family homes, many with tidy flower beds and well-pruned trees, about 2 miles west of Disneyland.

Michael Carrillo, an attorney representing the teenage girl, said she had “grazed” the officer’s lawn when he began shouting expletives at her. Carrillo said the altercation turned physical after the boy stepped in and told the officer he shouldn’t curse at a child.

In the video, the officer said he had heard the boy say he was going to “shoot” him, but the teen insists he said he was going to “sue” him.

Another youth rushed the officer, who stumbled back through a low hedge, still holding the 13-year-old.

A teen then took a swing at the officer. Other kids approached, and the man — still gripping the 13-year-old with one hand — pulled a gun from his waistband, crouched and fired a shot.

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