Note to all police officers: please stop pulling guns and shooting at teenagers. This off-duty L.A. cop who was filmed taking out his gun and firing at a group of teenagers (including 13-year-old Christian Dorscht) during a scuffle outside his home in Anaheim, California.
What Happened
The off-duty officer accused a group of teenagers of walking on his lawn. If true, yeah that’s kind of rude, but does it really warrant potentially lethal action? Not quite.
The confrontation ends when the officer pulls out his gun and fires a shot which did not hit anyone. After that, the teens rightfully fled for their lives. Before this, the cop can be seen tussling with one teen who he claims threatened to shoot him. A full-blown scuffle ensued after that.
The officer was apparently trying to arrest the unarmed teens when the fight broke out. More officers were called to the scene and two teens were ultimately arrested. At this time, it is unknown if the officer intentionally fired his weapon or not. As of now, he has not been arrested.
As a result, protests broke out throughout the area Wednesday night following the release of the video. They began as peaceful but soon escalated as protesters began throwing rocks and bottles at police.
Check out video of the initial incident below.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoSkCGrRAQg
Who Is Christian Dorscht?
The 13-year-old boy at the center of this incident has been identified as Christian Dorscht by his father, Johnny Dorscht. He is the teenager the off-duty police officer is holding while firing his gun.
“That [the gunshot] was the most frightening part of it all. What if that bullet would have been, you know, I don’t know, a couple of inches closer,” Alma Jimenez, Christian’s mother, told CBS 8. “I didn’t see him being aggressive. I saw him being as calm as he possibly could. I saw him trying to reason with the adult.”
Christian spoke to Telemundo where he said, “I thought I was going to die. I thought he was going to shoot me because he was mad.”
Christian says that the cop called a girl a c*nt for walking on his lawn, which spurred Christian to come to her defense.
Who Is This Cop?
The off-duty officer has not yet been identified. He claims that one of the teens threatened to shoot him, while the teen says he said “sue” him. He has been put on a 72-hour leave while an investigation is conducted, according to officials.
“The Anaheim Police Department is aware of the numerous videos posted on YouTube regarding yesterday’s Officer Involved Shooting involving an off-duty LAPD officer,” police wrote in a Facebook post. “The Anaheim Police Department Homicide Detail is investigation the incident and the case will be presented to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office when complete. Calling and Sending emails to APD voicing your displeasure will NOT impact the outcome. A decision whether or not to file charges rests with the District Attorney’s office and is based on facts and evidence.”
This is a developing story. Please refresh for updates.
