Post by WaTcHeR on Jan 2, 2007 23:06:28 GMT -5
Officer Ricardo Alberto Pineda
01.02.2007 - Despite repeated warnings from the Houston Police Department not to fire guns into the air on New Year's Eve, an HPD officer has been arrested for allegedly doing just that.
Apparently, bullets from the gun of a police officer rained down on a southwest Harris County home in the 8800 block of Rustling Leaves, damaging property and leaving a family very afraid.
Just after midnight on New Year's Eve, homeowner Huyen Nguyen said two bullets pierced her garage door, one of them entering the house and getting lodged in her wall, narrowly missing her husband who was doing laundry at the time. Another bullet struck the family's car.
"You see that a lot right around New Year's, right around midnight, people will fire off weapons into the air," Lt. John Martin of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said.
But what you don't usually see is one of law enforcement's own as the alleged culprit.
"Clearly officers are aware of the dangers of randomly firing off firearms," Lt. Martin said.
Officer Ricardo Alberto Pineda, 27, was arrested by the Harris County Sheriff's Office Sunday morning after detectives found shell casings near the damaged home that matched the officer's personal handgun and discovered a rifle in his car.
Officer Pineda was off-duty at the time of the incident and was attending a party across the street from the Nguyen's home.
But when deputies arrived on the scene, they found Pineda, who has been with the force for about 3 years, in his HPD jacket and wearing his badge.
He's been relieved of duty with pay pending an investigation. He must turn in his badge, but not his guns if they are his own.
Several people at the party where shots were fired were detained, and the deputy asked where the shots were from. Pineda did not answer the question, officials said.
And while Nguyen said she is thankful her children didn't get hurt in the incident, this was not the way she and her family planned to welcome 2007.
Officer Pineda is expected in court Wednesday.