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EXCLUSIVE: Body Cam video of Desert Hot Springs officer in heated confrontation released

Published September 5, 2018 6:41 AM

KESQ & CBS Local 2 are sharing exclusive video from the Desert Hot Springs Police Department. The video shows newly released body camera footage of a tense confrontation between a police officer and a man who was arrested.

The incident happened in July. The detainee’s brother caught it all on camera on his cell phone. The video went viral. The Facebook post generated more than 90,000 shares on Facebook. Some viewers accused the officer of covering his body camera with his hand.

Since the incident one officer is no longer with the Desert Hot Springs Police Department and two others have been disciplined, according to the chief of police.

The body camera video shows the officer confront the man.

“You got a problem? You wanna mad dog me?” asked the officer of the detainee. You can hear the man deny ‘mad-dogging’ the officer.

The confrontation is captured using another officer’s body camera. Desert Hot Springs Police Chief Dale Mondary says the camera belonging to the officer in question was off, which is against DHSPD policy.

“When they turn those things on, they’re supposed to be on and recording the entire time with certain exceptions,” Mondary said.

Mondary says the officer in question turned his camera on upon arrival, but it appears he turned it off to talk with officers on the side. During that time, the confrontation occurred and he detained the man for misdemeanor battery. The officer didn’t turn the camera back on until he un-cuffed the detainee.

Mondary disapproved of his actions.

“We have the issue of the other two officers turning their cameras off and on, instead of letting them run continuously, that’s a problem in our department. And then obviously the other is the demeanor of the officer in question, the way that he treated and spoke to this gentleman in the black shirt. Also, the other problem is the other officers not intervening,” Mondary said.

All three officers have been disciplined, according to Mondary. One officer is no longer with the department, the other two remain employed.

Mondary says the officer in question did not commit a crime, explaining he had the right to detain the man because he was, in fact, a suspect in the assault. KESQ and CBS Local 2’s Lauren Coronado reached out to the officer today, he wrote back, via Facebook, he remains unemployed and declined to speak over the phone.

Chief Mondary could not confirm the reasons behind the officer’s unemployment with the department.

More on the original story:

On July 7, a DHSPD officer was caught on camera allegedly harassing a man. The man, Joshua Felix, told KESQ & CBS Local 2 he was being detained for a misdemeanor battery.

“That’s when he (the officer in the video) just walks right up to me and stands right in my face,” Felix recalled. “I get irritated myself because I just got assaulted and now I’m getting yelled at by police.”

Felix was later released from custody and the officer was placed under investigation by the DHSPD for possibly covering up his body camera.

Chief Dale Mondary told KESQ & CBS Local 2 in July that he was confident the officer was not blocking his body cam.

“I do acknowledge that’s what it appears to be,” Mondary said. “I’ve known this officer, I know his demeanor and sometimes when you talk to him, it’s not unusual for him to actually reach up and grab the top of his shirt.”

We now know the officer’s body cam was off at the time. Mondary confirmed the officer in that video was let go, however, no exact cause has been given.