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D.C. Policeman Accused of Pulling Gun to Quell Snowball Fight

194 Comments

Two D.C. police officers, on not in uniform, involved in the snowball fight controversy during a winter storm on Saturday. (Screen shot from home video of the incident.)

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guscnn

over 3 years ago

2 Comments

I lived near DC all of my life and I work in DC...let me tell you, a man driving a hummer and steps out of the vehicle holding a gun...It is time to run and ask questions later...the guy is an idiot that just damaged his career.
126andy

over 3 years ago

10 Comments

I don't think that the officer handled this the correct way.He probably should have kept driving or if he felt he wanted to do something called 911 and had a uniform respond. I also don't think that he should be fired because of this unless there are other incidents in his files of similar stuff. Maybe some classes or anger management as was mentioned earlier.
Jimp2468

over 3 years ago

420 Comments

I have to agree with RCG239 in this situation! Maybe if the snowballs where loaded with rocks, I could see that being justified....
djbiker

over 3 years ago

20 Comments

This Officer is a perfect example of what can happen when you have been an Officer for too long. He is looking at everything as if it is a criminal act. Police deal with so many criminals and not enough with good citizens. His vision was blurred by his personal opinions of the public at large and he didn't see that this was just a snowball fight by good people.

He should be taken off the streets permanently. He was in a private vehicle, in plain clothes, and off duty. He reacted like he was hit while in his patrol car, in uniform, and they had thrown a rock or bottle. Not an appropriate response. As a CWP holder, had I reacted the same way, I would have been arrested.
djlojak

over 3 years ago

200 Comments

one thing ive learned in almost 30 years of police work, anything done off duty goes south real quick! your driving a hummer for godsake! that snowball is not going to make a difference. he looked like a complete idiot, i felt sorry for the young cop who responded as his backup, he tried to extricate dum dum in a civil manner but at that point the crowd wasnt having it. but on the flip side what idiot throws a snowball at a guy in d.c. who is holding a gun! i lived in the d.c. area, when you see a gun your hauling a** !
Anonymous

over 3 years ago

What was he thinking?
wiseass0282

over 3 years ago

10988 Comments

This is going to get ugly.
rosdubh

over 3 years ago

66 Comments

Looks like somebody had a case of the Mondays.
shaun741

over 3 years ago

2758 Comments

If this is true it is very wrong
36TR

over 3 years ago

7252 Comments

So his vehicle got hit. Waaahh. Just keep going. That large of a crowd, how are you going to determine who hit your vehicle. Chances of the vehicle being damaged are slim, and if it is, that's why you have insurance. I think he over-reacted!!!!
Tomas

over 3 years ago

140 Comments

If you look at more than just one clip, it is clear that the off duty detective stopped his Hummer in the middle of the street, and got out of it to confront the folks enjoying a snowball fight after his vehicle may have been hit by a snowball.

Before he had even cleared the front of his vehicle, he had both his radio AND HIS GUN out. Check the videos.

You can hear the murmur passing through the crowd "He's got a gun!" long before some clown hit him with the snowball he was asking for.

In other videos you can hear him claiming to have pulled his gun because he had been hit by a snowball. Really? He was hit while inside his vehicle? Right.

For those who did not see a gun in his hand, this frame from one of the videos should allow you not only to see the gun, but to identify which model Glock it is: http://tijil.org/snowball_fight_gun.jpg

The "responding officers" failed to take control and separate this cowboy from the crowd.

I see no reason for him to stop his private vehicle in the middle of the street and bounce out with gun in hand just even if his Hummer was hit by a snowball. Very poor action by ANYONE with a gun.
royaledition

over 3 years ago

6 Comments

I saw this on T.V. and it said he also got hit in the head by a snowball..
Anonymous

over 3 years ago

basically, after watching this a ton of times, my analysis is this: an officer pulling a gun when being pelted by a crowd is NOT necessarily wrong, especially if it places the officer in jeopardy. BUT, this officer's approach, and style of confrontation left much to be desired. He did not appear to take control of the situation professionally, but rather seemed to let his emotions dictate. And also, not very clear ID anywhere---I was straining my eyes to see if he was displaying anything (other than a gun and radio) to ID himself.. The response from his fellow officers bailed him out of an escalating situation.
propbraker

over 3 years ago

894 Comments

I think the police chief is caving in to the heat on this, and leaving the detective to dry. I heard that he got hit by snowballs and not just his SUV. But I would like to hold judgment on this before all of the facts are out. I don't think he should be fired just because he pulled out his gun, but if he pointed it at people then It's a different story.
kevw25

over 3 years ago

1298 Comments

He did not point his weapon at anyone. Large crowds are always a scary situation.