A driver has come forward saying the deputy who shot dead a 13-year-old California boy after mistaking his fake AK-47 as real pulled a gun on him also, after he failed to signal a lane change during a carpool.
Jeff Westbrook, 57, of Santa Rosa said he was mistreated by Deputy Erick Gelhaus after being pulled over Aug. 21 in Cotati, so much so that at one point he asked Gelhaus: 'Sir, is there something wrong with you?'
'I felt like I was watching somebody I needed to help,' Mr Westbrook, a program manager at an information technology company, told CBS of Gelhaus.
'This was not right. He did not manage this correctly.'
Gelhaus shot Andy Lopez seven times at a Santa Rosa parking after recieving reports of a suspicious and believing his toy machine gun was real.
Mr Westbrook was pulled over by Gelhaus for not using his indicator.
He said he pulled into a shoulder, but offered to move the car forward because there was not much room next to the driver door for Gelhaus.
When the car started moving, Gelhaus is alleged to have drawn his gun.
'It was about a foot from by face,' Westbrook said.
