Chula Vista Firefighter Arrested has settled the case by agreeing not to obstruct Fire crews performing their duties on state highways.
A CHP officer handcuffed and detained a Chula Vista firefighter, sparking a heated online debate between Police and Fire personnel across the country about proper protocol.
The CHP officer allegedly asked the firefighter to move his truck out of the way at a crash scene, and when he refused, he was handcuffed.
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The CHP and firefighters were assisting victims of a rollover accident on the side of the 805 Freeway.
On camera, 12-year veteran firefighter Jacob Gregoire was handcuffed.
Why Was Chula Vista Firefighter Arrested?
Jacob Gregoire was handcuffed, searched, and detained for 30 minutes in a California Highway Patrol car because he refused to move his Fire engine, which was positioned to protect rescue workers and victims from oncoming traffic.
However, he later filed a civil suit against the arresting officer, Sergio Flores, and the California Highway Patrol.
Gregoire’s Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable arrest were violated, according to Gilleon, by CHP Officer Sergio Flores’ actions.
On Friday, he filed a claim for damages against the state claims board.
Officer Jake Sanchez, a CHP spokesman, said he couldn’t comment on the incident, his agency’s policy on controlling crash scenes, or Gregoire’s legal claim.
The interagency squabble occurred on February 4 after a car traveling south on Interstate 805 near Telegraph Canyon Road flipped over a temporary concrete divider wall alongside the fast lane.
According to the Fire Law Blog, Gregoire filed a claim regarding his arrest. The case, however, has since been transferred to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where it was argued in December 2017.
The CHP clarified in a joint statement with the Chula Vista Fire Department that the incident was isolated and not representative of the two agencies’ normal working relationship.
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What Led To The Chula Vista Firefighter Arrest?
On February 4, 2014, Chula Vista Fire Department firefighter Jacob Gregoire was arrested at the scene of a rollover on Interstate 805.
Mr. Gregoire was retrieving a gurney when he was told to move his engine or face arrest by a CHiPs officer, Sergio Flores.
He told Officer Flores that he needed to check with his captain, at which point he was arrested, searched, and handcuffed.
The engine was in a blocking position to allow personnel to attend to the patients.
According to reports, the arrest disrupted personnel operations on the scene and delayed the packaging of the patients.
On-scene supervisors from the fire department and the highway patrol resolved the problem.
“I’m not looking for compensation; I’m looking for policy change,” Gregoire said of CHiPs agreeing not to interfere with firefighters at emergency scenes.
Dan Gilleon, Gregoire’s attorney, claims that, in addition to the wrongful arrest, the CHiPs officer violated Gregoire’s Fourth Amendment rights by conducting an unreasonable search and seizure.
Officer Flores would undoubtedly respond in the same way that Police officers before him have in similar situations if we questioned him about the situation,
“I arrested Gregoire because the law is the law, and NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.
He was asked to move, but he balked. No one is entitled to preferential treatment simply because they work as firefighters.”
