The most paranoid police officer in America heard an acorn drop onto his patrol vehicle and began completely freaking out, believing he had been shot and responding by firing multiple shots at an unarmed person he had just handcuffed and put into the back of the car:
The deputy misinterpreted the sound of an acorn striking the patrol vehicle as a gunshot. pic.twitter.com/f8Zn7u1d4P
— Githii (@githii) February 13, 2024
The way he’s screaming “Shots fired! Shots fired!” while doing his little ninja rolls and blasting away with his own gun for no reason is something straight out of a Dave Chappelle skit. All because a teeny, tiny acorn dropped from a tree and scared him. It’s even more ridiculous when you see it from the perspective of his colleague, who heard the commotion and started firing shots for no reason also:
Sgt Beth Roberts responded quickly to Deputy Hernandez erroneously calling “shots fired” in response to an acorn dropping from a tree.
“Where? Right there?” Roberts asked before also firing at the handcuffed, unarmed man in their car.
Luckily, both cops missed every shot. pic.twitter.com/S0WyadTakX
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) February 13, 2024
Genuinely incredible. The good news is that neither police officer managed to hit anyone with their bullets, but it’s still very alarming that something this stupid and dangerous can happen. Two trained police officers getting into a shootout with an acorn ffs!
Both Deputy Jesse Hernandez and Sergeant Beth Roberts were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, though the Akaloosa County Sheriff’s Office did determine that Hernandez’s use of deadly force was “not objectively reasonable” (Roberts’ was).
In the end, Hernandez resigned from the sheriff’s department. Which is probably a good idea for everyone involved. I mean, I don’t know if the guy has PTSD from a prior policing experience or something, but to get triggered to that extent by the sound of an acorn falling to the ground is just a disaster waiting to happen when you’re walking around with a gun and a badge #AcornLivesMatter.
To watch a police officer in the UK punch a six-foot-five 16-year-old in Hull and immediately regret it, click HERE.
