A widely shared video shows the tense moments before an off-duty Los Angeles police officer fired a gun on Tuesday afternoon during a confrontation with a group of teenagers in Anaheim, California.
Hundreds of people took to the streets near the officer's home in protest Wednesday night after the footage surfaced on social media. The fight occurred Tuesday over ongoing issues with kids walking home from school across the officer's property, a police statement said.
Witness George Perez, 16, told the Orange County Register that the confrontation might have started because of a misunderstanding between the 13-year-old and the officer.
"The little kid said, 'I'm going to sue you,' and then the guy thought he said, 'I'm going to shoot you.' That's when he started grabbing the little kid," Perez told the newspaper.
In a nearly 9-minute video posted on Facebook, the officer, who was not identified, struggles to detain the teen as a crowd of teenagers forms nearby.
The teen repeatedly denies that he threatened to shoot the officer as the older man pulls him across a yard. The teen says that the officer is hurting him and tells him to "let me go. … I'm only 13."
The struggle pushes the pair near a hedge, where a boy breaks from the crowd and slams into the officer. The older man is thrown into a hedge and comes out on the other side, pulling the 13-year-old through the greenery and blocking a punch from another teen.
Gripping the 13-year-old's sweatshirt, the man then pulls out a gun. A single shot is fired.
Police said the shot did not hit anyone.
Police arrested two teenagers on battery charges in connection with the confrontation. One of the teens was also charged with making criminal threats while the other was charged with assault, according to authorities.
Anaheim police are investigating the case. Following standard procedure in cases of police-involved shootings, the officer was placed on administrative leave. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating his actions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
About the Author
