JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville police caught on video making an obscene gesture to the man who called him for help is the subject of an internal investigation after the I-TEAM showed the video to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Warning: The content of this story may be disturbing.
Convenience store owner Fahim Sidiqi called News4Jax because he says he and his customers don't deserve to be treated the way they were, regardless of how frustrated this officer might have been.
The officer, who we've identified as Howard Saunders, gave Sidiqi "the middle finger" because the officer was upset that Sidiqi wouldn't agree to sign a trespass warrant on a man who insisted he needed medical help. The entire incident was captured on his store surveillance cameras.
"He [officer] looks at me and says screw you, he turns his back walks to his car, throws his hand in the air, with his middle finger up, flicks me off," Sidiqi told the I-TEAM. "It was very rude and disrespectful."
Sidiqi says the actions of this JSO officer are unbecoming of the position he holds as a patrol deputy. He says it all started earlier in the night, when an unidentified homeless man walked into the University Food Mart. He was complaining of being in pain and having a heart attack.
"He was sick, he was having chest pains. I'm not a doctor, but he needed medical assistance," Sidiqi said.
Sidiqi says the homeless man frequents his store, so he called Jacksonville Sheriff's Officers and paramedics to help. Both arrived within minutes, but while examining the man, Sidiqi says police and paramedics quote, "talked the man down," and made the decision not to transport him based on their examination.
"When rescue showed up, they were very unprofessional because he had been to the hospital several times before, the gentlemen was having a mental condition," Sidiqi told the I-TEAM.
After the decision was made not to transport the man to the hospital, Sidiqi says Officer Saunders urged him to sign a trespass warrant, so the man would be arrested if he came back to the store again. Sidiqi says he argued with police -- telling them that wasn't the reason why he called.
"They just wanted him gone. He didn't care where the guy went. He didn't care about a medical emergency or heart attack. He didn't have a reason other than giving him a trespass and arresting him some other day. My argument was that he needs medical help," explained Sidiqi. "He was very frustrated, he was very upset, he said, 'I have to leave all the way from the Southside,' in a very loud voice. He was cursing and said, 'This is it.' I said, 'He's having a medical issue, what do you mean this is it, this is your job?'"
Sidiqi says words were exchanged between him and Officer Saunders, and before leaving, Saunders gave him the middle finger while returning to his police cruiser.
Sidiqi -- who tells the I-TEAM he graduated from the police academy himself -- doesn't want the officer to lose his job. He wants Officer Saunders to be better aware of strain that exists between police and the community. Sidiqi says the obscene gesture doesn't help.
"It's really important because the people need to trust the police," said Sidiqi. "If someone is having a medical emergency or getting robbed, for any scenario, we need to be able to rely on the police and they will be there -- and be there and be a professional, whether I'm having issues at my house or with anyone. We want a professional to show up at my door."
An hour after that incident, surveillance video shows the homeless man returning to the store, where Sidiqi once again called paramedics. This time, he was transported to the hospital.
The I-TEAM turned to News4Jax Crime & Safety Analyst Gil Smith, who is also a former Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer, for his perspective on Officer Saunders giving the "middle finger" to the man who called him for help.
"By flipping off the owner, this is not the violation of the century, not a major violation, but it shouldn't be done because it doesn't make the department look good, especially when it's on video," the I-TEAM said to Smith.
Smith says the gesture violates the police department's code of conduct, and he sums it up as a "rookie mistake."
"Flipping him off and leaving is very unprofessional, definitely something that you should not do. However, when you're a younger officer, just a couple of years, it takes time to develop that patience. I'm not making an excuse, I'm just telling you how it is," said Smith.
We checked into Officer Howard Saunders' history with the police department. He was sworn in as an officer in June of 2015. We've also learned he was commended in April by Sheriff Mike Williams for his diligence in tracking down a dangerous felon who was arrested for a robbery.
JSO's director of patrol and enforcement, Ray Walden, released this statement:
"The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has turned this matter over to Internal Affairs for administrative review. We would like to remind the public that our officers are held to the highest standard of conduct, and those who are found administratively to have failed in meeting those standards will be counselled, receive remediation through training, and as warranted, receive discipline. The complaint process in this case worked. The Sgt. inquired of the store owner about filing a formal complaint, and the store owner said 'yes.' Upon receiving a copy of the video from News4Jax, I personally had an IA file opened, which now places the matter under review."
The I-TEAM put in a request to talk with Officer Saunders about the incident. We were told by JSO he is on his days off, but that the request was forwarded to him. The I-TEAM will give Officer Saunders the opportunity to tell his side, if he responds to our request.
The I-TEAM also reached to JFRD regarding the emergency responders. A spokesman tells the I-TEAM that all emergency responders on scene make the determination on whether or not to transport a patient based upon a series of medical evaluations. However, they would not speak specifically about this case citing privacy laws.