A Florida city commissioner made headlines over the weekend for confronting a cop he accused of falsely arresting him.
The unsuspecting moment came after city officials gathered to honor Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy Joshua Gallardo for his part in arresting a gang member allegedly wanted for murder. Gallardo accepted his award, smiled for photos and was about to walk back to his seat when Commissioner Mike Gelin took the microphone and asked Gallardo to return.
“Joshua Gallardo, will you come down for a second? It’s good to see you again,” Gelin said before the confrontation. “You probably don’t remember me, but you’re the police officer who falsely arrested me four years ago. You lied on the police report. I believe you’re a rogue police officer. You’re a bad police officer, and you don’t deserve to be here,” Gelin finished.
In the video, Officer Gallardo can be seen awkwardly smiling and even offered a thumb’s up as Gelin spoke. Other city officials along with Tamarac Mayor Michelle Gomez was just as surprised by Gelin’s actions.
“Completely shocked. This was not something we were expecting,” Gomez said. “It was supposed to be a wonderful morning. We were giving the awards for the BSO deputies of the month. It was supposed to be a feel-good time.”
In 2015, Gallardo arrested Gelin for resisting arrest without violence alleging Gelin, who wasn’t an elected official at the time, refused to clear a crime scene.
“When I shared my video with the state attorney’s office to prove that I did nothing wrong, they declined to file charges against me,” Gelin told WPLG. “I had a productive conversation with the sheriff yesterday and I will try to resolve things and move forward.”
Getting wind of Gelin’s comments, the Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputies Association urged anyone doing business with Gelin to “reconsider.”