A sheriff’s detective in Washington State has been placed on administrative leave after a YouTube video showed the officer pulling his gun on a motorcyclist during a traffic stop, authorities said.
Alex Randall, the motorcyclist from Shoreline, Washington, posted the video of his August 16 encounter near the Seattle-Shoreline city line.
WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS PROFANITY
“I put my hands up, (said) don’t shoot,” Randall told Q13 Fox. “I’m staring at the weapon at his finger, trying to see if he’s gonna shoot me, basically.”
The video showed the detective walk up to the Randall without identifying himself -- and with his gun already drawn -- and pointing toward the motorcyclist, allegedly for speeding and reckless driving.
King County Sheriff John Urquhart, who called to apologize to Randall, said an investigation into the incident was under way.
Urquhart did not name the officer and identified him only as a detective in Woodinville.
“I haven’t heard the other side of the story, but I don’t like what I see,” the sheriff told Q13 Fox. “There’s nothing standard about approaching a driver with a pistol out. That should not have happened.”
Urquhart told the news station it's never okay to pull a gun on an unarmed person during a traffic stop when the officer doesn’t feel threatened.
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