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D.C. Policeman Accused of Pulling Gun to Quell Snowball Fight
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.)
USA Today via YellowBrix
December 21, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC – A Washington, D.C. plainclothes police officer accused of pulling a gun after his car was pelted during a Twitter-inspired snowball fight in downtown Washington has been placed on desk duty pending an investigation, The Washington Post reports.
Police initially denied any weapon had been displayed until video footage and witnesses indicated otherwise.
The video footage shows that the unidentified officer drew his gun and exchanged angry words with the boisterous crowd after his Hummer was hit by one or two snowballs, the Post said.
The City Paper reports said the police department, after initially denying a weapon was involved, issued a press release saying it had “subsequently received additional images and statements that would seem to support the allegation that the off-duty member did pull a gun” and was now investigating the matter.
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The snowball fighters, mostly in their 20s and 30s, organized the “fight” at 14th and U street as a break from a huge snowstorm that had paralyzed the city this weekend.
Related: DC Chief Slams Officer Over Gun at Snowball Fight
The Post says 25-year-old Yousef Ali, a media and technology geek, spent 11 hours using Twitter and other social media to spread the word.
If the final investigation shows the officer pulled his weapon after being pelted with snowballs, D.C. Assistant Chief Pete Newsham, head of the investigative services bureau, said that “would not be a situation in which a member [of the force] would be justified,” The Post reports.
“We have to see what the entire circumstance was,” Newsham said Sunday. “But just a snowball fight, not in my mind. That doesn’t seem a situation where we would pull out a service weapon.”
Stutterincutter
over 3 years ago
2 Comments
Ive heard dont bring a knife to a gunfight but what about bring a gun to a SNOwball fight wow. Why would you even pull it out of the holster. I understand if there was a fight but looked like all was well just throwing snow. Guess snowballs are considered deadly weapons now.
Maugwa
over 3 years ago
904 Comments
Metro PD Training is at fault IYAM.
gi_motor4
over 3 years ago
38 Comments
Not a smart move Detective. My sentence is time off with pay and a couple of hours of retraining.
tguillaro
over 3 years ago
4 Comments
I guess this guy was born a grumpy old man!!
mmarchesi
over 3 years ago
2678 Comments
Here is another video that shows the Detective outside his vehicle, gun in hand and calling on the radio. Little does he know another person at the scene calls 911 to report a man with a gun (Him). Which will explain the response from uniformed officers. It all started when the Detective's personal vehicle was hit with snowballs, and then he too was hit once he got out.
Too many people on here are making blind comments or judgments without even watching the video's. Watch the videos, there are many related videos on youtube. Don't just comment or judge based on what other people are writing or what your seeing in this brief video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U17SxJzv9DM&feature=player_embedded
Alexander_Ott
over 3 years ago
574 Comments
Did the police dept. ever hear of this? Or did anyone even bother to tell the department that this was happening on "street so-and-so" and on whatever date?
securitystore
over 3 years ago
122 Comments
the Land of the FREE!?!?????
samurai30047
over 3 years ago
232 Comments
Once again the lib media is there to destroy cops. Kind of like the imbedded reporters in combat getting our 18 yr old soldiers and marines in trouble. Nobody got hurt. End of story. Ewww, a cop drew his weapon, ew a cop drew his weapon. Anybody ever get drilled with a snow ball in the face? With a rock in it? Stupid idea anyway. Twittering for a big snowball fight. I saw a friend of mine get one in the nose. Knocked him on his ass.
pcpd2601
over 3 years ago
392 Comments
"unholstered"
spell check
pcpd2601
over 3 years ago
392 Comments
come on, the Officer wasn't recklessly waving the gun around, he had it upholstered but never even brought it to the low ready position. Once he assessed the situation to ensure that it was safe, he holstered the weapon. You have to look at the big picture. Large crowd of idiots gathered in the middle of the street in the middle of the week and a snow storm. Cars are trying to negotiate through the crowds. Pretty stupid on their part. Im sure the Police Officers didnt get the invite on Twitter. Walk a mile in their shoes before you judge.
mmarchesi
over 3 years ago
2678 Comments
RayJay55, I agree with a lot of your points, "IF" we were talking about the UNIFORMED Officer, but we are NOT. We are talking about the B/M in plain cloths; the MPD Detective that was driving his Hummer down the street minding his own business when all of a sudden a bunch of idiots who decided to have a snowball fight in the middle of the street, threw snowballs at his vehicle. He stopped and got out, and when he did, he too got hit with snowballs (note the snow in his ear). This obviously either pissed him off, or made him fear for his life because he broke leather and drew his sidearm. Now, was that the right thing to do? I don't know. Did he violate department policy? I do not know, and I'm not going to second guess him since I was not there to see what he saw, or do I know what he was thinking or feeling at the time. May he regret his actions? Maybe.
As for the "UNIFORMED" Officer, he was responding to a "Man with a Gun" call, but when he arrived and approached with gun in hand, he realized the man with the gun was in fact one of their Detectives, to which he re-holstered and he and the other uniformed officers handled the problem.
As for the snowball fight which was broadcast over Twitter; these idiots disrupted an intersection in DC, they showed a total lack of regard and respect for others on the street to include people trying to negotiate the snow covered roadways. This showed a lack of respect for everyone, and once the police arrived, a lack of respect toward them as well. Might have the Detective reacted poorly, Maybe, but these idiots caused the problem to begin with. It is just a snap shot of what society has become, a bunch of over privileged scum that feel they can do and say what they want with out accountability.
I say let the investigation play out, if he was wrong, so be it.
Sgt131
over 3 years ago
126 Comments
Bad situation. Monday Morning quarterbacking is always easy, but there ARE two obvious points of view here. The drawing of the weapon is justified when one is attempting to quell what appears to be the beginnings of a riot. The snowball fight with several hundred subjects involved qualified since the officer was obviously ignorant of what was going on. With THAT said however, theplainclothes detective loses points big time because he had no business "attempting to quell the disturbance" singlehandedly, in plainclothes. Never. On or off duty. You have a radio. Use it and wait for back up. You may live to collect your pension that way. Had it have BEEN a TRUE "riot in themaking" it is likely that a lone officer in that situation, especially plainclothes, would have had his sidearm taken away from him, inserted into his rectal orifice, and the magazine then summarily emptied therein. NOT cool.
LordEnki
over 3 years ago
24 Comments
maybe he should have joined in it would have relieve his stress alittle
LordEnki
over 3 years ago
24 Comments
Sounds like they were using assault snowballs. Maybe he should of been a little more tolerant snowball fight have been around since the beginning of time.
smiley2
over 3 years ago
2 Comments
Need to clarify, the video showed a uniform officer which was not in the wrong. Giving police dept. Bad rap.