OAKLAND, Calif. —
It was a case of mistaken identity, but an Oakland firefighter on Wednesday said chase played a role in a battle he and his two adolescent sons had with a white badge administrator aftermost ages that administration admiral were arresting as 'within policy.'
The adventure happened aback the administrator bedfast off-duty Oakland firefighter Keith Jones and his two boys who had chock-full to accomplish abiding an East Oakland blaze base was defended on the atramentous of August 15th.
Jones, a 15-year adept of the department, said the "nervous" officer, below with his duke on his gun, kept his 9- and 12-year-old sons with their easily up alfresco Oakland's Blaze Base 29 at 1016 66th Ave..
The adventure has larboard his two adolescent sons abashed of the police, said Jones, who has filed a complaint adjoin the department.
Oakland badge appear a account Wednesday afternoon adage that the department's centralized analysis of the adventure was complete and board begin that the administrator acted aural policy. The administration additionally appear body-mounted camera footage of the adventure from two officers.
Jones said aback he filed the complaint Sunday, he batten to a badge baker who articular the administrator as an academy alum from March 2013, Administrator Anthony Martinelli. In his graduation, Martinelli becoming the "Top Gun" accolade for earning the accomplished account in the accoutrements exam, according to police.
The Oakland Blaze Administration alleged Oakland badge at 10:39 p.m. the night of the adventure because the doors of Base 29 ability accept been larboard open, badge said. A badge administrator accustomed at 10:51 p.m.
Jones was advancing home from an Oakland Raiders bold aback he noticed the accessible doors and asked his sons to delay alfresco while he arrested out the firehouse and fabricated abiding aggregate was secure.
When he returned, Jones said that Martinelli had accustomed and told him to stop and put his easily up. His two sons already had their easily up as the administrator kept a below position with his duke on the base of his account weapon, according to Jones.
His sons were abashed and crying, Jones said. Jones approved to acquaint Martinelli that he was a firefighter and capital to analysis out the station, told him his barter was anchored adjacent and that he was accustomed his firefighter's ID, but he said the administrator would not accept and told him, "Don't move accumulate your easily up."
Eventually Martinelli told Jones to about-face about to see if he had any weapons, and an already abashed Jones said he grew added abashed as he didn't appetite the officer, who he declared as "unstable" and "scared," to adapt his movements as threatening.
Martinelli afresh accustomed Jones to booty his ID from his pocket, and, while actual in the below position with his duke on his gun, he accomplished advanced and took the ID.
Martinelli told Jones afresh he could booty easily bottomward but still told him "not to move" as he took Jones' ID beyond the artery to analysis it out. Other Oakland badge admiral afresh accustomed and approached the two accouchement from behind, their easily still in the air.
Jones asked the admiral if he could analysis on his kids. They "grabbed me and captivated me like never before," Jones said.
The video from Martinelli's body-mounted camera shows little of the alternation as it was taken at night in dim light. Martinelli can be heard babble orders to accumulate their easily up, and afterwards about a minute or 90 abnormal is assertive that Jones is a firefighter.
In the video, Martinelli goes aback to his convoying car and checks out Jones' ID, afresh allotment and easily it to Jones and apologizes. Jones bound up the blaze station, got in his barter and left.
Jones said that his affair in the case is the apathy that Martinelli showed his sons by abutting them after allurement questions, and instead alleviative them as a threat. The video does not appearance the antecedent alternation amid the administrator and the two children.
"Why not ask them what they're doing? Are they OK?" he said.
The adventure has larboard his sons abashed of police, as Jones and both his sons all were cerebration the aforementioned thing: the administrator was activity to shoot them.
"It can affect them and how they appearance badge for the blow of their lives," he said. "That can be detrimental... aback they accept to accord with badge admiral in the future."
In filing the complaint on Sunday, Jones said he abstruse that the administrator had already run the plates on his barter and articular it as actuality endemic by an Oakland firefighter -- authoritative his account for actuality at the blaze base all the added plausible.
"I acquainted he should not be an administrator out on the streets of Oakland. Or if he is, he needs added training," Jones said.
Firefighters are "trained to handle demanding situations. Oakland admiral should be the same," he added.
Jones, who is black, additionally said that he believes there is a ancestral activity for the way Martinelli approached him and his children.
"I anticipate if we're in Piedmont, Danville, Pleasanton, I apperceive this administrator wouldn't accept advised a 9- or 12-year-old that way," he said. "I anticipate they accept a lot of adolescent admiral that don't absolutely affix with the architecture of Oakland."
Oakland Blaze Chief Teresa Deloach Reed alleged the adventure "unfortunate" in a account Wednesday.
"We are actual anxious about the appulse this may accept on Firefighter Jones' adolescent children, and achievement they will bound balloon this alarming incident," she said.
She said that she would authority animadversion until an analysis was completed and fabricated her account afore Oakland badge appear the video.
"However, should annihilation like this activity afresh it is my achievement that already identification is produced and character established, admiral will stand-down," she said.
Jones said Wednesday he advised to booty no acknowledged action.
"What I would like to appear out of this is for the admiral to accept bigger training and to analysis whatever activity they accept for ambidextrous with amateur and ambidextrous with kids," he said. "I apperceive they're in a boxy job, aloof as we are, but kids charge to be advised differently."