A security guard in Toledo, Ohio, is facing a criminal charge after pulling a gun on a sheriff's deputy when ...
What are the details?
Lucas County Sheriff's Deputy Alan Gaston stopped at the IRS office on May 31 to inquire about a letter he had received. Deputy Gaston was in full uniform at the time, with his badge and service weapon clearly visible.According to Gaston, security guard Seth Eklund informed the deputy he could not be armed in the IRS office, and told the officer he would have to secure his gun in his vehicle. With that, Gaston turned to leave, and Eklund pulled his gun on the deputy and followed him out, holding the officer at gunpoint and attempting to take him into custody.
At some point during the incident, someone within the IRS office called 911 to report that a suspect had entered the facility armed with a gun. The Daily Mail reported that the caller failed to mention that the perceived threat was an on-duty uniformed law enforcement officer.
Police arrived at the scene to find Eklund still holding Gaston at gunpoint; the security guard can be heard on surveillance footage telling the responding officers, "He's got a gun and he won't leave."
Eklund now faces one charge of aggravated menacing, and is due in court this week. Gaston has filed a civil lawsuit against the guard and the security firm that employs him. The deputy is currently on medical leave, and is seeking compensation for lost wages and psychological distress stemming from the incident.
What did the deputy say?
Surveillance video of the confrontation has been released, showing Eklund pointing his gun at Gaston after he turned to leave. The deputy told WTVG-TV how he felt in that instant, saying, "Basically preparing myself to be shot at that moment. Bracing myself for a shot in my back."He added, "There's really no way to know how you're going to act when there's a gun pointed at you and when you think you're going to lose your life."
The deputy told WTVG-TV how he felt in that instant, saying, "Basically preparing myself to be shot
ReplyDeleteat that moment. Bracing myself for a shot in my back."
Now this deputy knows how we plebs feel when there are six cars full of armed thugs surrounding us, guns drawn and aimed at our faces, barking orders and obscenities--because we had a taillight out. I hope he takes this lesson with him when he finally gets over the trauma and manages to drag himself back to work.
Morons abound...
ReplyDelete...yeah...corrupt cops don't have to follow the same rules as others...right? I hope the security guard wins millions.
ReplyDeleteyeah that case and suit are going out the window and security guard is gonna be countersuing.
ReplyDeleteThe deputy although he was on duty he was looking after his own personal affairs
ReplyDeleteIn my view his personal business takes him off duty as he now is just an armed civilian. Therefore the security guard was doing his job by demanding that the deputy remove his firearm and place it in his car as it won't be the first time that a police officer went "postal" against a government service.
what? cops don't like the policy of the IRS about carrying weapons into their buildings? poor baby piglet. There is even a NOTICE ON THE DOOR OF THE IRS BUILDING, NO FIREARMS ALLOWED! but being a sovereign citizen and whom laws don't apply, aka a LEO, they believe they are above those pesky laws and KNOW IT TO BE FACT!
ReplyDeleteIf the rule is no guns in the IRS building then he was doing his job, how did he know the guy was a legit police officer, and not a shooter in a rented uniform.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Having a gun out and pointed at the ground is one thing, but having the gun actually pointed at the person should be limited to when there has been a threat of serious eminent violence.
ReplyDeleteThat's not how it works. A sworn law enforcement officer is a sworn law enforcement officer 24/7/365, and they have the power to arrest and to open and concealed carry at any time. Sure the IRS office can exclude them as a matter of policy with it being federal jurisdiction, but it was still absolutely improper for this nutcase security guard to try to arrest the guy at gunpoint when he'd already gone for the door as he was asked to do...
ReplyDeleteI really wish the audio was available to tell if the officer really was refusing to leave like they initially said, because if so that was an improper escalation on the officer's part, but by the time he was followed at gunpoint he was clearly leaving, had committed no criminal offense (felony or otherwise,) and thus there was absolutely no justification to subject him to being held with a gun pointed at his back.
That's true, but he still didn't have a right to chase him out like that with a gun pointed at his back. Plenty of buildings have "no guns" signs, but they as a matter of law don't apply to sworn uniformed law enforcement.
ReplyDeleteNo, sworn law enforcement officers don't always have to follow the same rules, especially not when it comes to rules regarding weapons while in uniform, as they're typically exempted from them (which is totally appropriate when on-duty, and a grey area when on lunch/break but still in uniform.) It may have been totally appropriate to have him put his weapon back in his car, but to chase after him with a gun pointed at his back was nonsense.
ReplyDeleteThe IRS is nothing more than a Rothschild collection agency that benefits private members of our Central Bankers and their friends. The money that the Rothschilds print out of thin air must be repaid to them with our tax dollars. They reinvest that money into financial instruments after they tell their elite friends what the Federal Reserve Bank will be buying in the near future.
ReplyDelete...another corrupt-cop-cock-sucker on a comment page. What a shock. Does The Union pay your dues?
ReplyDeletesambo as a cop might have thought he didn't even have to pay taxes (with tax money). he will go out on fake disability claim of PTSD at 70K a year. at least he got to feel what it is like when 5 cops surround you with guns out. hear how he said he tried to de-escalate the situation? COPS NEVER DO THAT THEY MAKE A MINOR INCIDENT 10 TIMES WORSE
ReplyDeletehey POS if a cop did the same to a civilian you would be cheering it
ReplyDeleteJust a statement of fact dumbfuck, I can actually read.
ReplyDeletesounds good on paper but it is not what happens in real world
ReplyDeleteTrue. “Disabled” from a tiny taste of the same experience they expose innocent people to on a daily basis. More like ‘lazy fuck who doesn’t think he should have to work for a living (the percentage of blacks that fail or refuse to pull their own weight economically is excessive.)
ReplyDeleteActually no, cops shouldn’t point guns at anyone unless there is a threat of eminent serious harm. The routine police action of assaulting people with a deadly weapon by pointing a gun at their head is as wrong as it gets. Nobody should do it.
ReplyDeleteBut it should be. If some training got updated and people started getting fired things would change. Just have them point their guns down below the feet of the subject unless/until the situation escalates. It’s perfectly workable. (IMHO pointing a gun at someone’s head triggers their innate right to self defense no matter who does it, cops shouldn’t do it to mere suspects.)
ReplyDelete...um...no...it's a alleged statement, produced by an agency previously known for protecting corrupt cops in support of their alleged..."Law Enforcement Actions". Charges I might add...that once the officer's actions and corruption are put to a test, get thrown out of court all the time. You must be a Union Chief. There was a clearly visible sign that stated guns are not allowed in the facility. By ignoring that regulation, the cop put himself in the obvious position of being a potential danger to the facility. The Security Guard is going to end with with a load of cash...due to the arrogance and unlawful conduct by he and his gang of blue-clad-goons Ha! Ha! Ha! Try getting off your knees...freedom feels better.
ReplyDeleteRJ O'Guillory
I misjudged you. did you see how Buckwheat said I tried to de escalate the situation? what a joke as soon as cops arrive they go insane screaming pointing guns making threats over what starts out as a minor incident. only when it was reversed did he try to "de escalate" the confrontation. if he had the gun out he would have been screaming like a lunatic at the guy
ReplyDelete....Not Allowed! Is the cop illiterate? No...just arrogant, thinking once again that the rules don't apply to him. Even if the cop was leaving, and no words were exchanged...the guard had every right to draw his weapon, as an individual took it upon himself to violate the publicly posted rule. Had the cop been off his medications, and gone on a shooting spree...the guard would be responsible for not enforcing the regulation. The cop should never have put the guard in that position.
ReplyDeleteRJ O'Guillory
There are signs that say guns aren’t allowed all over the place. They simply aren’t binding on sworn in-uniform LEOs as a matter of public policy (otherwise criminals could just put them up.) The laws that make ignoring those signs against the law specifically exempt LEOs. There was absolutely no valid basis for some wannabe security guard to chase after someone with a gun pointed at their back.
ReplyDeleteI agree it was boneheaded for both of them. He should’ve left his gun in the car. He should’ve immediately took it back to the car when reminded of the policy (and not tried to argue, even a little,) and, most importantly, the guard shouldn’t have assaulted him with a deadly weapon pointed at his back after he did what he was asked...
ReplyDeleteThe fact is that ignoring a sign with some words simply isn’t against the law in and of itself. Yeah, it’s rude, and it’s potentially unprofessional depending on the circumstances, but absent enabling laws (laws that explicitly exempt law enforcement) it’s simply not a crime, thus no crime had been committed (let alone one justifying a gun pointed at his back by a security guard to effect the arrest) and no arrest should’ve occurred. This means the guard broke the law and assaulted him with a deadly weapon.
More like lazy fuck wants to win the disability lottery!!!
ReplyDeleteHe was on duty and doing personal business? That's a big no no....he got what he deserved...
ReplyDeleteEver have a bevy of shotguns aimed at your head? Barrels of fun....
ReplyDelete