A police detective in Illinois was facing disciplinary action this week after being caught on camera telling a teenager he was being detained because he was white.
The video shows Detective Esteban Gomez making the comment while questioning five teenagers outside a pawn shop in Lake Villa, Ill., regarding a theft investigation, police said.
Gomez has since been disciplined for acting "inappropriately and unprofessionally,” Lake Villa police Chief Craig Somerville said Tuesday, the Lake County News-Sun reported.
"Detective Gomez admitted his words were poorly chosen and insensitive, and he immediately regretted what he had said," Somerville said in a statement, the paper reported.
Dezi Baczek, 18, who posted the video on Facebook, told the News-Sun that Gomez had approached her and her friends as they exited the pawn shop, and ordered them to sit on the curb or be arrested.
#1: Gatlin To: Deckard (#0)
Gatlin posted on 2017-11-29 20:19:50 Reply Private Reply
#2: Hondo68 To: Gatlin (#1)
Did Senator McCain order you to hate whitey?
Hondo68 posted on 2017-11-29 20:27:38 Reply Private Reply
#3: rlk To: Deckard (#0)
It was reconconquista in action.
rlk posted on 2017-11-29 20:35:27 Reply Private Reply