An uncommon event took place this week when a highway patrolman arrested a firefighter in southern California, after both public servants had a disagreement regarding where the fire truck ought to be parked.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Jacob Gregorie, from Chula Vista's Fire Department, was handcuffed by a highway patrolman presumably because the firefighter refused to move the fire truck, which was partially blocking a lane.
The events happened on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at around 9 p.m., when a car crash on highway 805 requested help from the Chula Vista Fire Department.
According to information published by the CBS, 35-year-old Jacob Gregorie was handcuffed after the patrolman asked him to move three fire trucks from the fast lane.
Two units complied with the order, but the driver of the third truck refused to move it and kept helping the victims of the accident. A video recorded by the CBS was released on Tuesday through social networks and on YouTube; the video shows the moment where a patrolman handcuffs Gregoire, who remained detained in the backseat of a patrol car for over 20 minutes.
Gregoire has worked in the Fire Department for 12 years and a half, and representatives from Highway Patrol and the Chula Vista Fire Department met on Wednesday to discuss the details of the incident.
Finally, on the afternoon of Wednesday, the two institutions emitted a joint statement in which they described the event as "unfortunate" and said it was an "isolated" event.
"Our two agencies have the utmost respect for each other and our respective missions. This was an isolated event and it's not representative of the manner in which our agencies normally work together towards our common goals," reads the statement, quoted by the CBS.
"This morning, representatives from both agencies met to discuss the incident and to improve communication between them and to guarantee the best possible service for the public. This incident will be a subject for future joint training sessions, in a continuous effort to work more efficiently together," the statement concluded.
The name of the patrolman who arrested the fire fighter was not released to the media.
Video via CBS
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