University Cop Who Pepper Sprayed Students Gets 38 Thousand in Worker’s Compensation

Okay, So here is what happened. A University of California Police officer pepper sprays protesters who are sitting down blocking a sidewalk.  Video of the incident goes viral, and the World begins to hate the cop.   He is suspended with pay and about 7 months later leaves the force.

That police officer was just awarded 38 thousand dollars  in Workman’s Comp because of the “suffering” he experienced.

According to SFGate.com, The Workers Compensation Board awarded the settlement to former police Lt. John Pike, for psychiatric injury due to the continuous trauma suffered from his employment at UC Davis.

The pepper spraying happened Nov. 18, 2011, on the UC Davis quad during a demonstration opposing tuition increases. On the widely circulated video,  Lt.  Pike is seen dousing protesters for about 15 seconds with orange pepper spray.

Watch it here. He starts spraying about 7 seconds in.

Pike was suspended with pay afterward.  The Police Union  says more than 17,000 angry or threatening e-mails, 10,000 text messages and hundreds of letters were sent to Pike after the video went viral, .  Pike repeatedly changed his phone number and e-mail address and lived in various locations. He left the campus police force in July 2012.

Earlier this year, UC Davis settled a federal lawsuit by paying $1 million to three dozen protesters who were pepper-sprayed.