Walking into an Orange County gas station, Jose Arreola never could have predicted that purchasing a $1.19 pack of Mentos could end with him facing down the barrel of an off-duty cop’s pistol.
The 49-year-old was on his way to a club with his wife one Friday night in March when they decided to stop by a gas station in Buena Park in Orange County, California.
According to security footage from the store taken that night, Arreola went into the store, walked to the cashier and picked one from the row of candy on the rack.
He asked the person behind the register how much the Mentos cost. They were $1.19.
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After paying for the mints and placing them in his left jacket pocket, Arreola turned to leave.
Behind him, an off-duty cop spoke up. “Hey, give that back… Police officer,” he said, taking out his semiautomatic.
Arreola repeatedly responded, “I paid for that.”
The two parties had an exchange of words, with the officer aggressively telling the cashier, “He tried stealing that from you.” But after the clerk confirmed three times that Arreola indeed paid for the mints and not stealing them, the officer said his apologies. Arreola took the candy and ran out the door.
“It made me angry,” Arreola said afterwards. “I felt this fear and thought of my wife. My wife might become a widow tonight.”
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Despite the brevity of the altercation—it lasted all of 35 seconds—it was enough for Arreola to have felt slighted. And by no less than a member of law enforcement.
“The hardest thing for me was, believe it or not, it wasn’t really the gun,” Arreola added. “It was his arrogance, his way of talking to me. … He treated me like a piece of trash.”
After the encounter, Arreola filed an official complaint with the local police department. The officer is yet to be identified. Despite the department’s offer to settle out of court, Arreola rejected their bid, saying it only covered his legal fees.
Buena Park police chief, Corey S. Sianez, said he also found the officer’s actions off-putting. “I want you to know that after I watched the video I found it to be disturbing, as I’m sure it was to you,” he said Friday on Facebook. He also mentioned that the anonymous officer is now under internal review.
“I can definitely assure you that our investigation will be thorough,” he said. “If the officer is found to be in violation of any policies and procedures, he will be held accountable.”
Watch the troubling footage here:
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