A California sheriff’s assistant was charged on Friday for staging a shooting last January, according to a statement from the Santa Clara County Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Deputy Sukhdeep Gill of Santa Clara County said he was ambushed by a passing car while stopping at the side of the road to urinate during a routine patrol last year. He claimed to have been shot and, shortly thereafter, used the emergency broadcast button to indicate that there had been gunfire. The incident triggered a hunt for the alleged aggressor.
At the time of the incident, officers responded from the sheriff’s office and the San Jose, Morgan Hill and Gilroy police departments.
Response officers noted last year that Gill had not been seriously injured after the alleged incident. The only damage appeared to be the body’s camera, where he claimed he was shot.
Gill also said he shot back at a silver sedan that was there when he fled the scene.
However, an investigation into the incident found serious “discrepancies in the deputy’s report”, and a warrant was issued for Gill, leading to his arrest on Friday.
The police officer, who has been in the department since 2016, is being accused of vandalism and false reporting of a crime.
“This case is disconcerting and deeply disappointing,” prosecutor Jeff Rosen said in the statement. “Mr Gill’s actions have abused the trust of his fellow police officers and diverted public security resources from protecting the community to investigate an invented crime.”