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Update: All charges against Erik Brunner of Redwood City have been dismissed, according to Santa Clara County court records.
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A San Jose police officer and a Redwood City man have been charged in connection with an assault on a woman after prosecutors allege the off-duty officer punched a woman in the face during a road rage incident, according to a news release from the Santa Clara County District Attorney.
George Brown, 37, faces charges of felony assault under the color of authority, misdemeanor battery, and misdemeanor child endangerment. Brown, who was off duty at the time of the incident could face incarceration if convicted. Erik Brunner of Redwood City, a passenger in Brown's car, faces a misdemeanor for assault.
"It is disappointing that an officer – on or off duty – would act in such a reckless and violent way,” said Jeff Rosen, Santa Clara district attorney. “A higher standard of behavior is not a suggestion or a request. It is built into the badge.”
Around 8 p.m., on July 24, Officer Brown was driving his Ford Explorer when he was involved in a near collision with a Ford Flex, prosecutors said. In Brown's car were Brunner, an acquaintance, and family members, including a young child. A woman and teenager were passengers in the Flex. The two vehicles pulled onto I-280, both drivers accelerating and braking in an aggressive manner, officials said.
The woman in the passenger seat of the Flex threw a plastic bottle that hit Brown’s Explorer, prosecutors said. Brown was on the phone and mouthed to the male driving the Flex to “pull over” to the side of I-680, which he did. Brown pulled his Explorer about a car length behind on the driver’s side of the Flex, blocking the lane of freeway traffic.
According to the prosecutors, Brown called San Jose police dispatch and requested “Code 3” assistance, usually reserved for emergencies. The man and his wife exited the Flex, as did Brown and Brunner. Brown identified himself as a San Jose Police officer and, without provocation, the 220-pound officer punched the 5-foot-3-inch woman in the face, knocking her to the ground, prosecutors allege. She attempted to stand back up, and Brown punched her again, they said.
Brunner attacked the male passenger – a fight Brown, the Redwood City man, joined after knocking the female to the ground a second time, according to prosecutors. Eventually, everyone returned to their vehicles and left the scene, before law enforcement arrived. A passing motorist in a Tesla equipped with video cameras on the front, side, and back of the vehicle reported the incident to 911 and provided the recordings of the incident to investigators.
After returning to her home, the injured woman went to the hospital and reported that she had been assaulted, which triggered a notification to the police, according to prosecutors.
According to reports, the incident was also partially captured on a witness’s cellphone, but the videos are not being released to protect the privacy of the victims.
