Video: GoPro Footage Captures Correctional Officer Brandishing a Firearm on ATV Rider
OutdoorHub Reporters 07.26.17
An ATV rider, an off-duty corrections officer, a gun, and a GoPro . . . this has all the ingredients for a viral video.
An ATV rider claims he feared for his life after a corrections officer confronted him for driving too fast, and then threatened him with a gun, and ordered him to the ground, CBS News 13 is reporting.
In the video, ATV rider Devarge Walker, along with a couple friends, were headed to another friend’s house when they were stopped by Gregory Braeuer, an off-duty corrections officer at the Fairbanks Correctional Center.
As you’ll see in the video, Braeuer is leaving his driveway when Walker stops and gives him the “go ahead.”
At that time, Braeuer exits his vehicle and waves Walker up toward him.
Braeuer grabs the ATV and tells Walker, “This ain’t a racetrack.”
At the same time, Walker reaches to remove Braeuer’s hand, then a shoving match ensues. The two men go at it for a second, and then Braeuer heads for his truck.
“I push him away, and I think it’s over,” Walker said, “But he goes to his vehicle and grabs a gun.”
Braeuer turns back toward Walker, gun in hand, and loads a round in the chamber.
“When he pulled out his gun, my heart dropped. In my head, I’m thinking of all scenarios. If I do this wrong, I can get shot, so no sudden movements. I’m seeing death in front of me,” Walker recalled.
Braeuer returned to the scene ordering everyone to get on the ground. However, according to the Alaska Department of Corrections, corrections officers don’t have the authority to detain anyone outside of the correctional facility. On top of that, they aren’t even authorized to carry firearms in the course of their duties, but only as private citizens.
After reviewing the footage, the Alaska Department of Corrections has placed Braeuer on administration leave, pending further hearings.
You can see how this confrontation unfolds below:
