Eureka police investigating officer who told man to 'go back to the reservation'

A Eureka police officer is accused of telling a Humboldt County resident to "go back to the reservation" during a heated encounter. The department is conducting an internal investigation. A Eureka police officer is accused of telling a Humboldt County resident to "go back to the reservation" during a heated encounter. The department is conducting an internal investigation. Photo: (c) Thinkstock Images Photo: (c) Thinkstock Images Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Eureka police investigating officer who told man to 'go back to the reservation' 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

A heated confrontation between two Eureka officers and Humboldt County resident Pete Yellow Bird has prompted an internal investigation by the police department. In a video taken by Yellow Bird, one of the officers admits he told the man to "go back to the reservation," though the alleged comment was said off-camera.

The two-and-a-half minute long video also shows Yellow Bird hurling insults at the two officers, frequently using profanities. The encounter did not at any point become physical.

"This dude told me to go back to the reservation. What the f— is that supposed to mean, Officer A—hole?" Yellow Bird can be heard saying. "Go back to the reservation, is that what you told me to do?"

"Absolutely," the officer responds.

The video was taken last Thursday and was brought to the department's attention Monday morning, Eureka police chief Steve Watson said.

"Obviously it's troubling on a couple levels. We have zero tolerance, if true, for racially insensitive or inflammatory speech," said Watson."At the same it was difficult to watch someone insult our officers."

WARNING: Video contains profanity

The officers involved are Drake Goodale and Neil Hubbard, according to Lost Coast Outpost. Both are members of the department's Problem Oriented Policing (POP) unit, which proactively patrols "major hotspots of crime and disorder" in Eureka. Watson said that's what Goodale and Hubbard were doing when they spotted Yellow Bird doing mechanical work in a parking lot. That constitutes a municipal code violation.

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An internal investigation is seeking to paint a better picture of what happened before the camera started rolling. Yellow Bird told Lost Coast Outpost that he was polite to officers before Goodale allegedly told him to "go back to the reservation," but the officers contend the situation was tense from the beginning.

Regardless of what sparked the exchange caught on camera, Watson doesn't excuse the alleged comment.

"Police officers often times find themselves in situations where they are required to endure insults that a private citizen would rarely stand there and tolerate. But peace officers have to be better than that and they must remain the professionals we expect and train them to be, even when it isn't easy," Watson said.

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"We make mistakes. We lose our cool. We sometimes react emotionally to something. We owe it to ourselves that if we make a mistake, we own it."

The police chief said the officers involved may face punitive action, depending on the outcome of the department's investigation. To his knowledge, neither officer had a history of similar complaints.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at amartichoux@sfchronicle.com.