Spokane, Wash. — Spokane Sheriff’s deputies snoop around the wrong house, order the innocent resident out of the house, put him on his knees, and hold him at gunpoint. When the ordeal is over, instead of apologizing the deputy tells the man “you’re lucky I didn’t fuckin’ shoot you”.

Fortunately, the citizen survived the encounter.

Unfortunately, the attitude displayed by the deputies in this incident is not an exception, but rather one in a series of manifestations of the “Us vs Them” culture fostered by the Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich.

The Sheriff has a habit of blaming the victims and defending the reckless and illegal actions of his deputies, creating an atmosphere of impunity that leads to harassment and even deaths of innocent people.

From The Inlander:

It’s dark — after 8:30 pm in December — and two Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies surround a house on North Five Mile Road, guns drawn. They’re investigating a potential burglary.

The only problem is, they’re snooping around the wrong house. They had been given the correct address, but they couldn’t find the house and assumed the caller was mistaken.

“Open the door!” Brooke says. “Sheriff’s Department!”

Deputy Evan Logan walks around back and shines his light through the windows. He checks the handle on the double French doors that lead into the basement

Unlocked.

Deputy Robert Brooke walks to the front of the house and shines his flashlight into the main floor “to see if he could see any evidence inside the home,” according to court documents. He checks the front doorknob. 

Locked.

Meanwhile, Connor Griffith-Guerrero, the 22-year-old who lives in the house, is watching a movie on Netflix in the basement. He sees the deputies’ flashlights and walks to the main floor to investigate. Griffith-Guerrero cracks open the front door, sees the deputy’s gun and screams as he slams it shut, thinking the cop was actually a criminal.

“Open the door!” Brooke says. “Sheriff’s Department!”

On hearing that the flashlights and guns are being held by police, Griffith-Guerrero opens the door. He’s ordered out of his house and onto his knees. The deputies put him in handcuffs at gunpoint, according to court documents.

Eventually they let him go when they see that the address on his ID matches the address of the house that they just pulled him out of.

“You’re lucky I didn’t f—-in’ shoot you,” Brooke says to Griffith-Guerrero, according to court documents.