Colin Atagi, and Omar Ornelas

TDS

A deputy filmed pointing a gun at two men during a Palm Desert traffic stop Sunday did nothing wrong, a Riverside County Sheriff's Department spokesman said Monday.

"I didn't see anything in the video that stood out to me as a violation of our policy," said Capt. Andrew Shouse, who oversees the sheriff's station in Thermal. "He is not on administrative leave, and he is back at work."

The video posted online shows the deputy pointing the gun as the cameraman demands to know why a weapon is being used when neither suspect is armed.

It was filmed by Alex Espinoza Natividad, 26, of Indio, who posted it on his Facebook page before removing it to prevent family members from reading comments left by people, he told The Desert Sun.

The 52-second clip begins just as one of the men gets on the ground. It shows the sheriff's deputy standing a few feet away while pointing his weapon as traffic flows in the background. The deputy constantly tells Natividad to get down.

In response, Natividad says, "I didn't do anything ..... Why you gotta point a gun at me? We have no weapons."

Natividad said he filmed the incident because he feared for his life. He referenced police shootings across the country, including the one in Ferguson, Mo., involving Michael Brown.

"I know that not all cops are like what we see with (Ferguson)," he said. "I understand deputies have a job to do, but I was afraid for my life and my rationale was to get out of the car because I did not want to be a statistic."

At about 4 p.m. Sunday, the deputy, whose name wasn't released, was driving south on Washington Street toward La Quinta when he spotted a Chrysler 300 blocking the middle lane near Avenue of the States.

Shouse said the deputy approached the car and found a disoriented, somewhat unresponsive driver. After noticing the smell of marijuana, he called paramedics for a medical emergency.

Natividad said he knew his friend wasn't well, but he didn't know he was under the influence of marijuana.

The deputy reached into the car to shut off the ignition, but the driver hit the gas and drove west on Avenue of the States, Shouse said.

The deputy followed the Chrysler until it pulled over a short distance from the intersection. That's when the two men got out of the car - something Shouse advises no one do during a traffic stop in order to avoid a confrontation.

"Our officers don't know the intent of these subjects," he said.

The deputy, not knowing if the men were armed, maintained a safe distance from the pair and pointed his gun as he ordered them to get on the ground, Shouse said. The driver, Michael Jude Jean-Baptiste, 26, of La Quinta, obeyed after awhile, but his passenger continued to ask why the deputy was pointing a gun at them.

"I felt humiliated. I was not a threat," Natividad said.

He soon got onto the ground and both men were handcuffed. Jean-Baptiste was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired by drugs and booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio. Natividad was released from the scene.

"There was absolutely no physical confrontation," Shouse said.

A copy of the video was saved as evidence.

The sheriff's department asks anyone with information to call Lt. Dave Walton at (760) 863-8990.