Police Left Embarrassed After Sergeant Spotted Using Dating App During Active Southern California Standoff
A SWAT deputy who appeared to be a sergeant was seen swiping on a dating app during an active shooting in Riverside County. CBS LA He caught the deputy red-handed via SkyCal, leading the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office to launch an internal investigation.
Motorized Biscuit He reported the incident that led to a stalemate in SWAT on Wednesday. It all started when a wanted suspect fled police in a white Cadillac CT5 near Pats Ranch Road and Limonite Boulevard, leading to a pursuit.
Patrol vehicles chased the gun-wielding suspect through Jurupa Valley before moving onto eastbound Highway 10 and Highway 15.
After an hour-long chase, deputies engaged in a shootout near Jurupa Valley High School, causing the school to be placed on lockdown as a safety precaution.
Read More From MotorBiscuit:
group of police in the middle of the road
The suspect was asked to surrender. However, the suspect, who did not comply with the police instructions, escaped by running over the barbed strip.
A patrol vehicle armed with a grappling device was following the Cadillac in front. The device is designed to slow or stop a car by wrapping a tie-down strap around the rear wheel or axle. The patrol vehicle positioned itself just behind the CT5’s rear wheel and engaged the interceptor.
However, the device failed to stop the car. Instead, the suspect lost control of his vehicle and crashed at a high rate of speed into a concrete wall behind a residence on Antigua Drive. After the crash, deputies sensed movement inside the Cadillac and positioned themselves for another confrontation.
Was He Distracted by His Deputy’s Dating App?
In addition to multiple patrol vehicles, two armored vehicles manned by SWAT teams were pulled behind the heavily damaged Cadillac. It was at this point that SkyCal noticed the assistant was browsing on a dating app.
A video posted by CBS LA Instagram shows how close the deputy was to the suspect’s Cadillac behind the barricade, using the dating app. Meanwhile, his colleagues found ways to remove the suspect, who was reportedly alive and armed at the time, from the car.
The reporter in the video said the letters ‘SGT’ on the deputy’s vest indicate that he is a sergeant and is on the Riverside County Sheriff’s SWAT team in a supervisory capacity.
It looked like he swiped left on a woman’s profile before scrolling through two other profiles. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office released a statement after footage of the deputy using a dating app went viral. It read:
“This behavior does not reflect our department’s standards, expectations, or policies. We have initiated an internal investigation and will take appropriate action based on the findings. The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to professionalism and holding our employees accountable.”
Speaking of tension, the suspect probably got into the backseat of the Cadillac. Thereupon, deputies used a drone to see inside the vehicle.
A battering ram was then used to break the rear window and a tear gas canister was thrown into the Cadillac to force the suspect out. Deputies eventually opened the back door to find the suspect dead.
