According to the Channel 9 news yesterday afternoon, the reason the policeman had his pistol drawn was that when the report calling officers to the snowball fight, the police dispatcher stated that one of the snowballers was carrying a weapon. Thus the policeman had his service automatic pulled.
The video showed him keeping it pointed at the ground, his trigger finger laying alongside the barred, not on the trigger.
And it also showed him holstering the pistol after the “armed snowballer” identified himself as an plain clothes policeman. At no time, on the tv video did the policeman point the pistol at any of the snowballers.
This is one case of criticizing the policeman is a “cheap shot”
If true it sounds as if the officer did EXACTLY the right thing.
The officer was told by dispatch that someone on the scene was waving a gun around.
I think he took good precautions as he approached the culprits. He held it down and at his side with his trigger finger along the barrel, then he holstered it quickly as he sized up the situation and found out the person on the scene with a gun was an off duty policeman.
Before you criticize get the facts. Also try taking a walk around DC yourself without protection and see how many blocks you get. I lived there for a few years in the 80s and it is smart to be prepared for he worst.
Professional agitators. Thus the video camera. Cops fall for it every time. I hope the camera person peed a little.
The complaints were about the plain clothes detective who brandished his gun after his hummer got hit with snow balls.