Calif. police officer pulls gun during Bend dispute
NewsChannel 21 obtained exclusive video filmed just seconds after five men were involved in a fight in downtown Bend early Sunday. Bend police confirmed that Vallejo, Calif., police Sgt. Michael Kent Tribble pulled a gun during the dispute.
“All of a sudden, when (Tribble) pointed it at me, I was just like, ‘Oh God,” witness Dustin Pomeroy said Tuesdsay. “I put my hands up, and I was just like, ‘I don’t want no problems man. I don’t have anything. Put the gun away.’ But he wasn’t listening.”
Pomeroy and a group of friends were in downtown Bend, celebrating a birthday. At the Summit Saloon and Stage, they had the first interaction with Tribble.
After a brief scuffle between Tribble and another man, the group went to a different bar. Later, they ran into Tribble again. A fight started, and Pomeroy said his friend Stuart Epps, 34, of Bend, was knocked out.
“He was on his back, face up and his eyes were in the back of his head, just rolling. And they just kept punching him in the head, kept punching him in the face,” Pomeroy said.
However, Bend police said in a news release Monday that there were no serious injuries reported, no shots were fired and “intoxicants were involved.”
Pomeroy also said when he stepped in to calm down Tribble, the officer pointed the gun at him.
“He had the finger on the trigger the whole time, when he pointed at Stuart’s head and at me and my face and everything,” Pomeroy said.
Police said there have been no arrests, and while three men sustained minor injuries during the dispute, none sought medical attention. However, they have confirmed that Tribble displayed a gun during the dispute.
NewsChannel 21 contacted the Vallejo police department, but they said they did not want to comment at this point.
Back in 2010, Tribble was involved in a deadly shooting incident. It was ruled justifiable homicide.
Bend police Lt. Nick Parker said the incident is still under investigation and that officers are doing more interviews and reviewing video evidence to sort out “contradictory and/or conflicting statements” among those who were there.
