A sheriff's deputy in Northern California was detained and charged Friday for supposedly faking an undercover attack per year back while on duty, police said.
Santa Clara County Deputy Sukhdeep Gill, 27, maintained at a panicked radio call he was taken while on patrol on Jan. 31, 2020, yelling"Shots fired! Within a crisis station, FOX two at the Bay Area reported.
He told officers that he was ambushed by a passing car when he stopped his car on the side of the street and the bullet struck his own body camera. His police car had been taken by three bullets and he maintained he'd fired back in the car as it flew away., the Los Angeles Times reported.
Gill was put on leave after the episode as a yearlong investigation unfolded.
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen did not define what portions of Gill's narrative were fake but stated ballistics and other signs revealed inconsistencies. Researchers noted Gill was not hurt in the shooting while the only bullet pierced his camera.
"Deputy Gill's actions abused the confidence of his fellow officers and diverted public security resources apart from protecting the neighborhood to research a made-up offense," he included the manhunt that followed for Gill's allegedly nonexistent shot.
Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith in a statement said:"When the allegations hold accurate, Deputy Gill's activities aren't representative of those upstanding people of the Sheriff's Office, who risk their lives daily to serve and protect our community with integrity and honesty."
Since Gill is a Sikh and wears a turban, researchers had initially believed he might have been targeted due to his faith.
"All these allegations not just reflect negatively on the hard-working people of this DSA, but to law enforcement specialists," that the Deputy Sheriffs' Association of Santa Clara County said in a statement, based on FOX 2. "It is crucial to realize that these allegations aren't reflective of the huge majority of law enforcement officers and deputies."
Gill's lawyer, Nicole Pifary, stated they're"looking forward to have a look at the analysis and the related signs to comprehend why those fees are being chased," the station reported.
He stays on paid administrative leave, FOX two reported.
He's been with the division since 2016.
