TAMARAC, FLA. (WSVN) - Newly-released cellphone video shows the incident that led a Tamarac commissioner to confront a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy during an awards ceremony at a commission meeting.
During the Deputy of the Month ceremony on Sept. 26, Tamarac Commissioner Mike Gelin called out BSO Deputy Joshua Gallardo after he had received an award.
“Joshua Gallardo, can you come down for a second? It is good to see you again,” Gelin said. “You probably don’t remember me, but you are the police officer who falsely arrested me four years ago. You lied on the police report. I believe you are a rogue police officer. You’re a bad police officer, and you don’t deserve to be here.”
In 2015, Gelin was recording a video of a man hurt on the ground when Gallardo asked him to stop and move away.
In a lengthy social media post, Gelin said he saw two homeless men fighting, and when one man helped, he began recording.
Around three minutes after the beginning of the recording, Gallardo confronts Gelin. Although, in the police report, the deputy writes he advised Gelin that he could record but has to move. That statement cannot be heard in the video.
“Right now, we’re working on this,” Gallardo said to Gelin. “It is a violation. He is a victim right now. Do you want to leave? Do you want to leave the area?”
“I’m watching,” Gelin replied. “I want to make sure he’s being taken care of.”
“Then, please back away to the sidewalk over there,” Gallardo said.
Gelin and Gallardo continued to go back and forth in the video.
“Sir, I am going to ask you again on the other side of that hedge,” Gallardo said.
Gelin asked, “Why the other side?”
“You are going to get arrested for obstruction,” Gallardo replied.
“How am I obstructing?” Gelin asked.
“Because I’m asking you to go to the the other side, and I don’t want you approaching me,” Gallardo said.
“I am not approaching you,” Gelin responded. “You approached me.”
“Other side of the hedge!” Gallardo exclaimed.
Gelin was arrested for resisting without violence, but once his attorney showed prosecutors the video, the charges against him were dropped.
In a Facebook post, Gelin wrote, “I was profoundly affected by my wrongful arrest and the fact that nothing was done about it, made it even worse… I am not a criminal… I never interfered with (the deputy), and I never followed him.”
Tamarac Mayor Michelle Gomez said she is not happy that the incident was brought up during the city meeting.
“I did not think it was appropriate,” Gomez said. “It was a personal comment of something that happened in his personal life being aired in the wrong form, wrong place, wrong time.”
Gelin insisted that he did nothing wrong and spoke with Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony about the incident. In the Facebook post, Gelin said the two would work together to try to institute positive change.
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