In 2016 on a February evening, off-duty San Francisco Deputy Sheriff Rosado parked his car on Geary Boulevard and 19th Avenue and was reaching into the trunk to get his backpack when he heard a man walking behind him utter racial epithets and angry threats to shoot certain individuals. As Deputy Sheriff Rosado turned to look at him, he noticed what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun tucked into the front of his waistband. He dialed 911 to report a man with a gun, and maintained a running conversation with the dispatcher as he followed the man across the street, staying a safe distance from him, until police arrived.
Deputy Rosado pointed to the man, by now crouching between two cars, and shouted a warning to the responding San Francisco Police Sergeant that he had a gun. The sergeant drew her firearm and ordered the man to raise his hands. He raised his hands but advanced toward the sergeant, ignoring her repeated warnings to stop. As the man continued to move toward her, Deputy Rosado positioned himself to the right of him, and swiftly applied a bar arm takedown to bring the man to the ground, where Deputy Rosado used the sergeant’s handcuffs to restrain him.
As the sergeant maintained control of the man, Deputy Rosado noticed another man approaching her. He was highly intoxicated and refused Deputy Rosado’s orders to step away. Deputy Rosado pushed him away to prevent him from interfering with the arrest.
Searching the area around the man, he located the handgun, which was later identified as a spring-loaded pellet gun, as well as a small baton, both of which could have been used to inflict injury on the responding law enforcement officers and people passing by.
According to the supervising SFPD lieutenant’s report, commending San Francisco Deputy Sheriff Rosado on a job well done, Deputy Rosado “prevented a possible violent incident that was soon to take place.”
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