Cop
Who Pointed Gun At Motorist In Violent Road Rage Incident Arrested
A former police officer who
reportedly put a gun to the head of another driver during an extreme case of
road rage has been arrested.
Jacob Emory Swigger, formerly of
the Signal Hill Police Department, was arrested on Friday for a road rage
incident that took place on November 20. Prosecutors with the Orange County
District Attorney's office say it was triggered when another man cut Swigger
off on the northbound 5 freeway in Irvine during the morning commute. Swigger
followed the other driver for about a mile before swerving in front of him,
forcing him to stop. That's when the former officer is said to have pulled the
man out of his car, put a gun to his head, and "repeatedly" slammed
him into his own car, according to the O.C. Register.
Several passing commuters
called 911 to report the incident, which took place in the middle of the
freeway.
Swigger was a member of the
Signal Hill police force at the time and was driving to work from his home in
Lake Forest, but was not in uniform or driving a police vehicle. However,
prosecutors say he identified himself as an officer during the confrontation
and is being charged with excessive force by a police officer along with assault
with a firearm. "I am... saddened by the fact that someone who had
previously subscribed to a life of public service has been charged with a
crime," Signal Hill Police Chief Michael Langston said in a statement.
