Rocklin police investigating after video shows officer unholster his firearm during arrest

Rocklin Police Department is the subject of attention this week after video of an arrest was posted on social media, raising some concerns over use of force.

The 57-second video only shows a portion of the interaction between a Rocklin officer and a man taken into custody on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Springview Drive.

Lt. Scott Horrillo, spokesman for the Rocklin Police Department, said the officer responded to a call reporting a man in the area for harassing people at the Dutch Bros. coffee shop across the street Monday. The officer arrested the man on suspicion of being drunk in public.

At the beginning of the video, the officer is seen standing with his service weapon unholstered and held near his chest as the man lays prone on the sidewalk in front of the officer, his hands behind his back. The officer points his service weapon downward, but it is unclear from the vantage point of the video exactly where the officer is pointing his firearm.

Horrillo said it was not immediately apparent why the officer, who has not be identified, had removed his firearm since body-worn camera footage had not yet been reviewed.

“I’m not sure what necessitated the firearm to be removed,” Horillo said. “. . . He’s by himself so he’s trying to get a position of advantage over the person he’s trying to arrest.”

What is said between the man and the officer cannot be heard over the noise of passing traffic through most of the video. The only identifiable sound comes when the officer walks toward the man, still prone, kneels with his right knee on the man’s back, and appears to pull and twists the man’s right wrist. The officer appears to apply force to the man’s wrist as he bends it back, and the man can be heard saying “ow” and grunting in pain.

The officer then pulls handcuffs from his belt and handcuffs the man. The video ends shortly after that.

Horillo said the department’s professional standards unit is reviewing the incident to determine if excessive force was used.