According to a press release from the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office, a California sheriff’s deputy was arrested for concocting a “shocking ambush” in January of 2020.
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy Sukhdeep Gill, 27, was arrested on Friday and charged with felony vandalism and misdemeanor falsely reporting a crime.
Gill told officers that he parked on a dirt shoulder while on duty to urinate. While he was walking back to his patrol car, he alleges that he was shot at by the passenger in a silver sedan. The deputy returned fire, letting off two shots. Gill was shot only once, on his body camera, which was destroyed. A manhunt for the suspect ensued.
According to the DA’s statement, Gill’s story began to fall apart during the investigation. The investigation found evidence that discovered severe discrepancies in the deputy’s account of events.
“This case is bewildering and deeply disappointing,” said District Attorney Jeff Rosen. “Deputy Gill’s actions abused the trust of his fellow officers and diverted public safety resources away from protecting the community to investigate a made-up crime.”
CNN reports that Gill’s attorney, Nicole Pifari, released a statement that said, “For now, all I can say is we are looking forward to getting our hands on the investigation and the evidence to understand why these charges are being pursued.”
Gill is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
