Pepper-spray cop no longer employed by UC Davis

Lt. John Pike, the University of California Davis police officer who pepper-sprayed student protesters last November, is no longer employed by the university.

The Sacramento Bee reported that the circumstances of Lt. Pike's departure are not known. UC Davis spokesperson Barry Shiller said, "Consistent with privacy guidelines established in state law and university policy, I can confirm that John Pike's employment with the university ended on July 31, 2012. I'm unable to comment further."

Pike became infamous when he sprayed students who were participating in an Occupy event on the university campus. Videos and photos of the incident went viral and Pike was widely vilified for what many believed was an unnecessary attack. The hacker group Anonymous released Pike's personal information into the public domain.

Lt. Pike had been on leave from the university's police force since the November incident. He became the subject of an Internet meme, where he was digitally added to a Beyonce video, the U.S. Constitution, numerous paintings, soccer matches, and even...is that "Jaws"?

Following news that Lt. Pike is no longer employed with the UC Davis police force, Twitter users launched a slew of tweets. "And POOF he was gone," wrote one.