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Brawl lands Mammoth cops in hot water |
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Saturday, 30 May 2009 |
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By Darcy Ellis
Editor
5-28-2009 A fight outside of a Bishop bar last week has two Mammoth Lakes police officers under investigation and possible charges on the way from the Inyo County District Attorney’s Office.
According to Mammoth Police Chief Randy Schienle, the two officers have been placed on administrative leave pending the results of any potential criminal investigation by the Bishop Police Department.
Meanwhile, the men are the subject of an Internal Affairs investigation being handled by a Mono County District Attorney’s Office investigator.
The incident has sparked the second internal investigation for the department this year. The first stems from a reported assault-type incident that took place in Las Vegas in mid-April while members of the Mammoth Lakes Police Department were participating in the Baker to Vegas Challenge Relay Race.
Schienle said by phone Wednesday that internal investigations are confidential and therefore he could neither confirm nor deny whether the same officers involved in Thursday’s altercation in Bishop also had any part in the Las Vegas incident.
He also could not release the identities of the officers under investigation in this most recent incident, but he did issue a press release Wednesday afternoon with some details about the altercation.
According to the press release, the two Mammoth Lakes police officers were off duty inside Rusty’s Saloon around 11 p.m. Thursday when “a physical altercation involving acquaintances of the officers broke out and the officers became involved in the disturbance.”
The press release states that the persons involved, including the Mammoth police officers, left the bar towards the rear of Rusty’s where the disturbance continued, “with another physical altercation taking place involving the MLPD officers and other patrons of the bar.”
The “physical altercation” was reported to the Bishop PD at about 10:56 p.m. as a “large fight” behind Raymond’s Deli, which shares the same back alley as Rusty’s.
Reports from witnesses go a step farther, calling the fight an out and out “brawl.”
Rob Allen, manager at Rusty’s, confirmed that the second physical altercation did occur farther to the north behind the deli, and noted that it involved the two Mammoth Lakes police officers, a girlfriend of one of the officers and a group of people who may have been walking towards Rusty’s when the fight broke out.
According to Allen, the trio from Mammoth had been inside Rusty’s minutes earlier, when an unnamed woman alleges the officer’s girlfriend “sucker-punched” her. Allen said a thorough review of surveillance tapes was unable to reveal the incident, but he noted the bar was particularly busy that night and crowded with patrons.
Bar owner Michelle Allen said the surveillance tapes have been turned over to Bishop PD for its investigation.
Following the alleged assault inside Rusty’s by the officer’s girlfriend, the trio either decided to leave or was asked to leave by the bouncer. Rob Allen said the surveillance tape shows the bouncer following the officers and a woman out the door to make sure they got outside OK.
Based on reports from witnesses, it appears the three didn’t get very far before the second alleged altercation.
Officers with the Bishop PD responded along with Inyo County sheriff’s deputies, breaking up the fight upon their arrival.
A Bishop man was detained for public intoxication and released after detox. He was not arrested and, as such, his name is not being released by the PD, which according to Schienle is investigating the actions of everyone involved in the altercation that night.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 10 July 2009 )
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