After a Pasadena police officer shot a colleague in a parking garage, an internal investigation revealed what the city’s police chief called “horseplay.” But new evidence from a witness to the incident led to a new investigation and the placing of several officers on leave, the police chief announced on Monday.
Last week, after an unusual delay, the department released video of the September police shooting, which shows one officer pulling and pointing a weapon before another officer is shot through a car window. At the time, Police Chief Gene Harris called the police’s behavior “unsafe and illegal horseplay.”
King told The Times that the officer who fired the shot was no longer on the force, and the district attorney’s office was reviewing whether the incident was a crime.
But on Monday, Harris announced that a witness had come forward after the video was released.
That person provided “additional details, and a new investigation has been opened based on documents received on Sunday,” Harris said in a statement. The chief said that some of the police officers involved have been placed on leave pending the results of a new investigation. Harris called the decision “an indication of how seriously we take things like this.”
Until Wednesday, Harris had kept the video of the shooting under wraps for nearly nine months in a bid to overturn a state law barring police shootings, citing the investigation.
The video from September 7, 2025, captures a car entering a parking garage behind two uniformed officers standing behind a police SUV with its back open at around 6:18 pm No sound.
As the cruiser approached the police, the video shows the officer on the right behind the SUV pulling his gun and pointing it directly at the approaching police cruiser, an action the police chief said was “inappropriate.” After a few seconds, the policeman raised his weapon again as he and his colleagues smiled.
The video does not show what happens next inside the car. Police chief Harris said that the officer who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the patrol car pulled out his gun that was taken out of the door and pointed it at another police officer. During the meeting, the officer’s gun went off.
Harris said the round went through the windshield of the cruiser and hit one of the officers in the garage at 240 Ramona St. This video shows that, about four seconds after the police officer cocked his gun again, the dash cam suddenly exploded, there was a cloud of dust coming from the side of the car and the police officer who was holding his shoulder grabbed the gun and won.
The officer then moved to the side of the SUV as other officers in the parking lot rushed to him, helped him down and treated his wound.
Harris said the officer suffered serious injuries but has since recovered.
-
Share with
Under California law, police agencies are generally required to publicly release audio and video recordings of police shootings and other serious incidents involving serious bodily injury within 45 days of the incident.
However, in a video published on the city’s website, Harris said he used his power to use a clause in the law that allows the release of the photos to be delayed.
“The delay was necessary to protect the integrity of the investigation and allow investigators to complete important steps in the investigation,” he said.
Harris identified the shooting officer as Roy Alatorre and said the officer was “separated from the city.” He said his department has turned the criminal investigation over to the Los Angeles County district attorney and the state Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission has been notified. Alatorre has not returned requests for comment.
Harris said the video was not initially released due to the need for more extensive interviews and investigations.
On Thursday, Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo said of the incident: “This type of inappropriate behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Harris called the behavior “regrettable” and not within the department’s expectations.
