An intoxicated FBI agent brought a handgun into a Michigan police station late last year after his colleague was arrested for firing shots at an officer outside of a Grand Rapids gym, new video reveals.
Body camera footage captured by members of the Grand Rapids Police Department and uploaded to YouTube on Sunday shows armed and intoxicated FBI Special Agent John Salazar interacting with law enforcement following the arrest of his former partner, Ruben Hernandez, on Dec. 6, 2016.
Both men were on assignment from the FBI’s Las Vegas field office when Hernandez caused a commotion inside an all-night gym in Grand Rapids, then opened fire at a responding officer dispatched to investigate, according to authorities. He was subsequently fired from the FBI and is scheduled to be sentenced next month in connection with the incident. In the meantime, however, his former partner could soon be facing charges as well.
In the newly surfaced YouTube video, Mr. Salazar is seen discussing his colleague’s arrest in the lobby of a Grand Rapids police station as officers are heard off-camera trying to determine whether he was drunk.
While Mr. Salazar largely shies away from answering authorities’ questions throughout the entirety of the 18-minute clip, he offered an earnest response when asked after several minutes if he’s armed.
“Before I leave, I just want to know if you’re armed at this point,” an officer is heard asking.
“Oh yes, I am armed,” Mr. Salazar responds, lifting his shirt to expose his gun.
Mr. Salazar is disarmed on camera around four minutes later and taken to a different room for questioning before the clip ends.
Documents related to the law enforcement investigation of his former colleague indicate Mr. Salazar was intoxicated when he brought a firearm into the police station in apparent defiance of state law. The two men ordered no fewer than a total of 17 drinks in the hours before Hernandez opened fire, and Mr. Salazar had a blood alcohol content of 0.116 when he submitted to a breathalyzer test roughly an hour after the body cams first began filming, according to the NBC affiliate.
Carrying a firearm while having a blood alcohol limit of beyond .08 is punishable by up to 93 days in jail, WOOD-TV reported.
The newly emerged YouTube video could prove problematic for Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker, who two days earlier said authorities didn’t have enough evidence to bring charges against Mr. Salazar in connection with his conduct.
“We have no idea what his blood alcohol level was when his gun was on him,” Mr. Becker told WOOD-TV on Friday.
Weighing in on Monday, Mr. Becker said he was unaware of the body camera footage until it was brought to his attention by reporters.
The FBI declined to comment on Mr. Salazar’s employment status, the station reported.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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