An off-duty San Diego Police officer was arrested Thursday after a woman claimed he displayed a firearm during an alleged road rage incident in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego, SDPD said.
SDPD responded to the call from the accuser at around 9:15 a.m. She told police the driver displayed a firearm in a threatening manner, according to SDPD.
The woman gave officers the license plate number of the driver and over the course of the investigation, officers determined the driver was one of their own: Officer William Carter-Torres, a three-and-a-half year veteran of the department who was off-duty in his personal vehicle at the time of the alleged incident, SDPD said.
Carter-Torres was arrested for brandishing a firearm and booked into county jail, according to SDPD spokesperson Lt. Shawn Takeuchi. San Diego County Sheriff's Department records showed Carter-Torres released from custody at around 6 p.m.
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Once SDPD Chief David Nisleit learned of the incident, Carter-Torres was immediately suspended and his police powers were removed.
“These accusations are deeply disturbing to me, the department and our community. It will not be tolerated under any circumstances," Chief Nisleit said.
No other information was available.
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An SDPD officer by the same name was involved in the shooting death of 42-year-old Raul Rivera in Nestor in May of 2018. SDPD officials said Rivera was holding a knife and refused the officers' commands to drop the weapon.
An SDPD spokesperson couldn't immediately verify whether this is the same William Carter-Torres, but said there is only one officer by that name and his 3-and-a-half-year tenure with the department matches the timeline.
In that case the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office deemed the officers’ actions were justified.
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