Good-natured fight among adults turns sour for officer
December 20, 2009
Matt Zapotosky
THE WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON — The snowball fight is a time honored ritual, a return to childhood innocence.
But as any kid with tell you, a glob of ice in the eye can ruin the fun.
During Washington’s record-breaking snowstorm on Saturday, a massive snowball fight was taking place at the corner of 14th and U streets that had grown men and women laughing and hurling fresh-fallen snow at one another in the middle of the street. Good-natured, wintertime fun, according to participants.
Then a Washington D.C. Police officer happened by, and the event — filmed by amateurs and a local television station — suddenly became more serious.
Videos and photos show a police detective unholstering his gun (and admitting to it) during a confrontation with a group of snowball fighters. The video is making the rounds on the Internet and national TV stations. The detective, who authorities have not identified, on one such video says: “Yes I did,” apparently referring to the fact that he drew his gun, “because I got hit with snowballs.”
Washington police have said they are investigating the incident. Assistant Chief Pete Newsham, who leads the department’s investigative services bureau, has said the detective in question “was armed but never pulls his weapon.” Photos and videos posted online appear to contradict that, though none show the detective pointing his gun at anyone.
The incident occurred Saturday afternoon near an intersection where a large group of people were engaged in a snowball fight, which was organized and has now spawned a big debate on Twitter.
According to witnesses and Washington Post editorial aide Stephen Lowman, at about 3:15 the detective’s burgundy hummer got stuck in snow at the intersection, the battleground for the snowball fight. The detective got out of the vehicle, Lowman said, and he and the Hummer faced a mini-barrage of snowballs. That’s when he “kind of shows he has a gun,” Lowman said.
Another witness, 31-year-old Lacy MacAuley, said she was standing “having fun with all the other revelers” when a friend of hers suddenly yelled, “Oh my god, that guy has a gun!” She turned to see a man she later learned was a detective standing near a Hummer with a gun drawn at his side.
MacAuley said she and others tried to halt the snowball fight, but someone still pegged the armed detective. Soon the officer began yelling and shoving people, warning revelers: “You all do not throw snowballs at my car.”
According to Newsham, the detective approached the group of snowball fighters and had “some kind of interaction” with them. He said the detective holstered a cellphone, and someone from the crowd called to report a man with a gun.
“I think what probably happens is somebody probably saw his gun and called the police,” Newsham said.
A the patrol officer who responded to the call approached with his gun drawn, Newsham said, because he did not know the man with a gun was a police detective. When he realized that, he quickly holstered his own weapon, Newsham said.
MacAuley and others confronted the detective. As the detective walked away, MacAuley said, someone hit him with another snowball, prompting the officer to charge in the crowd and briefly detain the man he thought was the culprit.
“I feel that this is just an example of people asserting our basic right to have fun, and the police not being ok with that,” MacAuley said. “It was actually kind of just fun and games until all of this happened.”
Newsham said it appears the patrol officer acted appropriately, but the investigation continues.
Video is BELOW...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAgQKJuriIo&feature=player_embedded
December 20, 2009
Matt Zapotosky
THE WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON — The snowball fight is a time honored ritual, a return to childhood innocence.
But as any kid with tell you, a glob of ice in the eye can ruin the fun.
During Washington’s record-breaking snowstorm on Saturday, a massive snowball fight was taking place at the corner of 14th and U streets that had grown men and women laughing and hurling fresh-fallen snow at one another in the middle of the street. Good-natured, wintertime fun, according to participants.
Then a Washington D.C. Police officer happened by, and the event — filmed by amateurs and a local television station — suddenly became more serious.
Videos and photos show a police detective unholstering his gun (and admitting to it) during a confrontation with a group of snowball fighters. The video is making the rounds on the Internet and national TV stations. The detective, who authorities have not identified, on one such video says: “Yes I did,” apparently referring to the fact that he drew his gun, “because I got hit with snowballs.”
Washington police have said they are investigating the incident. Assistant Chief Pete Newsham, who leads the department’s investigative services bureau, has said the detective in question “was armed but never pulls his weapon.” Photos and videos posted online appear to contradict that, though none show the detective pointing his gun at anyone.
The incident occurred Saturday afternoon near an intersection where a large group of people were engaged in a snowball fight, which was organized and has now spawned a big debate on Twitter.
According to witnesses and Washington Post editorial aide Stephen Lowman, at about 3:15 the detective’s burgundy hummer got stuck in snow at the intersection, the battleground for the snowball fight. The detective got out of the vehicle, Lowman said, and he and the Hummer faced a mini-barrage of snowballs. That’s when he “kind of shows he has a gun,” Lowman said.
Another witness, 31-year-old Lacy MacAuley, said she was standing “having fun with all the other revelers” when a friend of hers suddenly yelled, “Oh my god, that guy has a gun!” She turned to see a man she later learned was a detective standing near a Hummer with a gun drawn at his side.
MacAuley said she and others tried to halt the snowball fight, but someone still pegged the armed detective. Soon the officer began yelling and shoving people, warning revelers: “You all do not throw snowballs at my car.”
According to Newsham, the detective approached the group of snowball fighters and had “some kind of interaction” with them. He said the detective holstered a cellphone, and someone from the crowd called to report a man with a gun.
“I think what probably happens is somebody probably saw his gun and called the police,” Newsham said.
A the patrol officer who responded to the call approached with his gun drawn, Newsham said, because he did not know the man with a gun was a police detective. When he realized that, he quickly holstered his own weapon, Newsham said.
MacAuley and others confronted the detective. As the detective walked away, MacAuley said, someone hit him with another snowball, prompting the officer to charge in the crowd and briefly detain the man he thought was the culprit.
“I feel that this is just an example of people asserting our basic right to have fun, and the police not being ok with that,” MacAuley said. “It was actually kind of just fun and games until all of this happened.”
Newsham said it appears the patrol officer acted appropriately, but the investigation continues.
Video is BELOW...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAgQKJuriIo&feature=player_embedded
