
Cop threatened colleague with Taser before bashing bunny to death
Bodycam footage from Aug. 16, 2024, caught the moment Grant County Sheriff's Deputy Alejandro Gomez demanded another deputy hand over a small rabbit that was found on a dirt road outside Hachita, a town just miles from the Mexican border, reported the Albuquerque Journal.
The deputy who found and was holding the animal believed Gomez would kill it, and only handed it over after Gomez threatened him with a Taser gun. Supervisors were also present at the time of the incident.
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4 Deputy Alejandro Gomez of the Grant County Sheriff's Office promised the helpless animal would be safe.
Renee Pena Truitt / Facebook
In the video, Gomez, 27, swears on the life of his children he won't throw or kill the bunny.
But just moments after he's handed the animal, he smiles at the camera and then flings it at the vehicle with the force of a fastball.
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The other deputy told New Mexico State police the bunny was clinging to life after the throw, and that he had to kill the animal to end its suffering.
4 Gomez grinned as he readied himself to throw the animal.
Renee Pena Truitt / Facebook
The diabolical deputy has been charged with four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon upon a peace officer and one count of extreme cruelty to animals, according to the Journal.
He will remain on paid leave until his criminal case is resolved. The supervisors are not facing disciplinary action.
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4 The callous cop has been charged with five criminal counts.
Renee Pena Truitt / Facebook
'We don't think he did anything wrong, obviously,' Gary Mitchell, Gomez's attorney, told the Journal, calling it 'an inner-office situation that should not have turned into a criminal case.'
The attorney added that he was 'waiting to see what evidence the state has.'
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The Journal reports Grant County Sheriff's Office Internal Affairs investigators looked into the matter, with 'little or no action being taken against the deputies or supervisors involved.'
4 How low can one man get?
Renee Pena Truitt / Facebook
Days before the bunny was found, Gomez allegedly pointed his Taser at the same deputy following a disagreement over a cell phone, according to the outlet.
After the bunny died, Gomez was standing behind the same deputy when he allegedly pointed his service weapon at the officer's back.
When questioned about the threatening move, he told other colleagues he was 'only testing his duty-mounted light.'

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USA Today
6 minutes ago
- USA Today
Beloved lion killed by trophy hunter in alleged ‘unethical' hunt
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Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
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Earlier this year, the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, a prominent watchdog group, sent a letter to the city's Police Commission warning that information collected by LAPD officers during routine pedestrian and traffic stops is flowing into massive databases — where they can be mined by immigration authorities to aid in tracking down a wanted person. 'Immigration enforcement can't happen without a vast network of local police and prosecutors who serve as the federal government's eyes and ears on the ground, ensuring that any person booked into custody for any arrest — no matter how trivial and no matter if ultimately false or thrown out in court — is immediately put on ICE's radar,' the letter said. Since it was enacted nearly 50 years ago, Special Order 40 has faced repeated attacks both from factions within the LAPD as well as anti-immigration activists who have challenged it on constitutional and practical grounds, saying it gives a free pass to criminals in the country illegally. 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Indianapolis Star
5 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis councilor Nick Roberts denies claims he groped 18-year-old woman against her will
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I was raised to respect all people and I would never engage in unwanted physical contact with a woman without her consent." The allegation against Roberts — lauded by the Indiana Democratic Party as the youngest councilor to win in any major American city after his election in 2023 at just 23 years old — is the latest in a series of sexual misconduct claims made against Democrats in city and state politics. Roberts represents District 4, comprising parts of Castleton and Geist in northeast Marion County. Perhaps the most salient allegations are three women's accounts to IndyStar that Thomas Cook, a former top aide to Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, pressured them into unwanted sexual encounters while dangling career growth before them as their superior. Two of the women have also criticized Hogsett himself for sending text messages that made them uncomfortable and allowing Cook to work as an unpaid adviser during a 2023 mayoral campaign despite his knowledge of past issues. More recently, City-County Council member Keith Graves was accused of physical and sexual assault by a woman 30 years younger than him, according to an IndyStar investigation. Council Democrats have promised to make reforms to the city's sexual harassment policies and reporting systems, including an overhaul of the human resources department and the creation of an inspector general to independently investigate alleged policy violations. Critics have said they doubt their intentions, however, after Council President Vop Osili ordered the forcible removal of one Cook accuser from a council meeting. Indy politics: Joe Hogsett wants to move past harassment scandal. Many aren't sure he can The accounts from Roberts and the woman, whom Mirror Indy did not name because she claims she's a victim of sexual assault, are aligned in some respects. But what differs starkly is their interpretation of a kiss during a second date. The two agreed to meet for brunch on July 5 after they matched on the dating app Hinge, Roberts said. Both say the first date went well, according to her text messages and comments to Mirror Indy. As they prepared to leave, Roberts hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. She later texted Roberts to say she "had a really good time" and "especially appreciate[d] the kiss on the cheek," according to Roberts. Roberts responded that she could get another "(and maybe more)" next time, by which he says he meant a kiss on the lips. Although the woman told Mirror Indy the remark made her uncomfortable, she responded, "I hope so, I'd like that :)" — meaning another kiss on the cheek. The two met in downtown Fishers a week later, on July 12, for ice cream and an evening stroll along the Nickel Plate Trail. During that walk, Roberts admits that he kissed her on the lips for a few seconds. The woman claims that Roberts pulled her off onto a side trail, where he began kissing and groping her while she pushed him away and told him to stop. He eventually loosened his grip, she said, apparently because someone walked by along the main trail. Roberts denies her account of those events, he said. He told Mirror Indy that the pair walked onto a side trail and kissed for a few seconds. He claims only to have put his hands on her hips. "While on our walk, because of those text messages, I kissed her on the lips for a few seconds," he said in a written statement reviewed by IndyStar. "During the kiss, she did not push me away or ask me to stop. If she had done either, I would have stopped immediately. We then walked for approximately another 30 minutes, and we had a conversation with nothing out of the ordinary." While Roberts described the following moments as unremarkable, the woman told Mirror Indy she was visibly shaken afterward. When they arrived back at their cars, Roberts said, "she leaned in so I could give her a kiss on her cheek and we said goodnight." The woman decided to file a police report soon after the date. Fishers police told Mirror Indy that the investigation is ongoing and refused to comment further. Roberts said he's cooperating fully with the police investigation and will continue to focus on his work as a councilor. "I have faith in the process and believe the facts will prove my innocence," Roberts said in the Facebook video, "and I remain committed toward working for our council district in the meanwhile."