Drunk SFPD officer flashed gun at bar employees attempting to kick him out, documents say

( KRON ) – An off-duty San Francisco Police Department officer allegedly flashed his badge “at least twice” and his gun to bar employees after he refused to leave when employees tried to kick him out for being too drunk, a complaint filed by SFPD's Department of Police Accountability (DPA) said.

According to the complaint, in November last year, the officer in question and a friend were seen taking several shots at a San Francisco movie theater, progressively getting "overly intoxicated" at the theater's bar.

"Rather than leave the premises," one of the witnesses interviewed said, the officer, in plain clothing, displayed his SFPD badge and firearm to theater employees after being asked to leave.

The witness stated that "it appeared the named officer did not like that he was telling him what to do and chose to speak with the security personnel instead," the complaint read.

After being interviewed, the officer later admitted to flashing his badge, claiming it was "to show the employee that he was an officer and to reassure him that he was not there to cause any funny business;" and that he was a "good guy."

After "an extended period of the named officer and his friend drinking," the theater manager and security personnel confronted the officer. The officer then flashed his police badge "and displayed a firearm holstered on his right-side waistband," the complaint said.

When asked why he had shown his star and firearm, the officer "apologized and said he did not mean anything by it."

Employees then responded by telling the officer that "he could not hang out there or use the restroom, and that if he did not accept the refund for his tickets and leave the premises, they would call the police."

The named officer finally accepted the decision and began to depart the theater.

Instead of immediately leaving the theater, however, the officer "interacted with additional security…stationed on the floor below." The complaint said he displayed his police badge again "to gain access to the bathroom, which was closed off to the public."

The complaint said the officer flashed his badge and removed the barrier to the bathroom himself. A second person came to stop him, and he "flashed his badge again" before going in.

The complaint said the police were called while he was inside and shortly responded to the scene while the officer was still there. Despite flashing his badge on the lower floor, the officer allegedly "does not recall" speaking to security personnel aside from the initial interaction.

The DPA investigation alleges the officer violated general rules of conduct, which partially state: "Under no circumstances shall an off-duty member who is under the influence of or impaired by any intoxicating substance place themselves in police officer status."

The named officer denied engaging in "any misconduct, misusing police authority, or violating any policies while being inebriated with a firearm and department-issued badge." However, in a separate administrative interview, "he admitted that his actions violated Department Policies," the complaint said.

The status of SFPD's internal investigation is unclear, and the name of the SPFD officer in question was never stated in the complaint. "Although not specifically defined or set forth in Department policies and procedures, [the officer's actions] shall be considered unofficer-like conduct subject to disciplinary action," the complaint said.

KRON4 reached out to SFPD for comment and has not heard back from them as of this report.

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