An off-duty San Bernardino Unified School police officer is accused of pulling out his weapon and attacking a man in Beaumont after the officer believed the man had taken his cellphone, according to Beaumont police.

Alejandro Brown, 31, has been charged with aggravated battery, according to Riverside County court records.

On the evening of Feb. 7, Brown called Beaumont police asking for assistance in the 1200 block of Massachusetts Avenue, according to a police statement. Brown identified himself as an off-duty police officer and told dispatchers he’d tracked his stolen cellphone to a home on Massachusetts Avenue and was going to retrieve it.

“While officers were en-route to the location; a second reporting party called dispatch to report that a friend had been a victim of an assault by an off-duty police officer,” the statement said. It wasn’t clear how the second caller knew the attacker was an off-duty officer.

Arriving officers determined it was Brown who had attacked the victim who was taken to the hospital for his injuries, officials said. Reports indicate the victim claimed he’d found the phone.

Brown was arrested on suspicion of battery with serious injury, brandishing a firearm, and assault under the color of authority. He was booked at Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. He has since been released on bail.

The San Bernardino City Unified School District placed Brown on paid administrative leave Feb. 8, officials said in a statement.

“He was assigned to patrol and he did not serve as a school resource officer,” the district statement said.

Brown was hired May 26, 2015, school officials said.

Authorities ask anyone with information on the case, to call the Beaumont Police Department at 951-769-8500. Information can also be provided anonymously at crimetips@beaumontpd.org or at beaumontpd.org/crime-tips.