UC Davis pepper-spray officer leaves job UC DAVIS

UC Davis police Lt. John Pike, who became notoriously famous after being filmed using pepper spray on protesters during a campus demonstration last fall, is no longer employed by the university.

"I can confirm that John Pike's employment with the university ended on July 31, 2012," UC Davis spokesman Barry Shiller said Tuesday. He declined to comment further.

Pike could not be reached for comment. He was involved in a Nov. 18 campus demonstration during which students were protesting rising tuition. On the widely circulated video, Pike is seen dousing protesters for about 15 seconds with orange pepper spray.

Pike was suspended with pay after the incident. According to a database of state worker salaries, he earned $110,243 in 2010, the last year figures were available.

California Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso led the 12-member task force that reviewed the episode. It found that it "should and could have been prevented," and recommended police reforms at UC Davis.

"The conduct of the police had serious faults," according to the 190-page report. "Objectively speaking, there was no basis for them to do what they did."

After Pike was identified in videos that circulated online, he received more than 17,000 angry or threatening e-mails, 10,000 text messages and hundreds of letters, according to the police union.

Pike changed his phone number and e-mail address and lived in various locations because of harassing calls and messages.