Covina police on Monday praised the work of two officers who used restraint and quick thinking to disarm a distraught 15-year-old girl who pointed a realistic-looking gun at them.
Sgt. Gregg Peterson, of the Covina Police Department, said the two officers got a girl to put down the weapon during a confrontation at an apartment Sunday after being called by the teenager's father.
One of the officers is a rookie who just finished his training three weeks ago.
"We have all the confidence in the world in his abilities," Peterson said. "He was able to handle himself like a veteran would."
The second officer is a reserve who works patrol once a week.
"This could have been a life-changing moment for, not only the family of the young lady, but for the officers involved," Peterson said.
The girl had been arguing with her father because she wanted to go somewhere with her friends but he didn't want her to go, Peterson said.
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Police found the girl laying on her bed.
She got up and lifted her shirt above her waist with her right hand, Peterson said. With her left hand, she pulled out what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon from her waistband and pointed it at the officers.
Peterson said the gun looks real. Up close, it appears to be a paintball gun with the trigger disabled, but the officers didn't know that when it was pointed at them. The girl was not arrested. She was taken in for a psychiatric evaluation.
"The officers, upon seeing this, pulled their own service revolvers and backed out of the room for cover and started giving her commands to drop the weapon," he said. "She was indicating she wanted the officers to shoot her."
