Controversy swirls around San Jose Mayor’s security detail after punch caught on video

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — Controversy is swirling around an incident recorded by KRON4’s news camera when San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s security guard was punched. A reporter was interviewing the mayor on camera downtown on April 23 when Wesley David Pollard walked up the sidewalk, threatened the guard, and punched him.

The guard was an on-duty plainclothes San Jose Police Department officer assigned to protect the mayor. Pollard told the officer, “I’m talking on the phone, you got a problem? I will smack you right now. I will f***ing smack you.” Nine seconds later, he did just that.

On Monday, the San Jose police union threw barbs at the local leader of the NAACP for criticizing its officer’s actions. Pollard, 35, is Black.

Steve Slack, president San Jose Police Officers’ Association, said the officer clearly identified himself as a police officer and followed his de-escalation training.

Slack told KRON4 on Monday, “Some, such as Reverend Moore from the NAACP as well as other apologists for career criminals, immediately rushed to defend the violent, aggressive and dangerous suspect, who was wanted on a warrant from Georgia. (The officer) did not reach for a weapon and in fact, when a tire iron was thrown toward the officer and he caught it, he did not use it, he discarded it. As for Rev. Moore, he has played the race card so many times he needs a new deck, and he should be striving to be a truth teller and not a propagandist trying to divide our city with falsehoods. The facts of this incident are easy to see, literally.”

Last week, San Jose Silicon Valley NAACP President Jethroe Moore viewed KRON4’s video and had a different opinion. Moore’s letter to the police chief states, “I was troubled by the rapid escalation of the situation into a physical altercation. It was distressing to witness the lack of attempts at de-escalation from the officers involved. It appears that there was no legal basis for instructing the pedestrian to move from his location in a public space.”

Moore said reactions from bystanders were also “troubling. Instead of intervening or seeking help, many individuals appeared passive, choosing to record the incident on their cell phones instead.”

Police Chief Paul Joseph described Pollard’s behavior as “aggressive.” The officer had asked the man to step back so that the mayor could continue his interview, according to the chief. “This person refused, advanced on the officer, and violently assaulted the officer by punching him repeatedly in the face,” Joseph wrote.

Mayor Mahan praised the officer, stating, “I’m grateful to my security officer who worked incredibly hard and at risk to himself to ensure everyone was kept safe in what was a very tense situation. He did his job, used his de-escalation training and remained level-headed even while being physically assaulted.”

The injured officer was treated in a hospital. Santa Clara County prosecutors charged Pollard with felony resisting or deterring an officer by means of threat or violence, misdemeanor battery, and disturbing the peace.

KRON4’s video was used as evidence by Pollard’s defense attorney during his first court appearance on Friday. A judge viewed the video before he made a ruling on whether Pollard could be released from jail. The judge ruled in favor of the defense, and granted Pollard’s release on $0 bail.

Judge frees man who punched San Jose mayor’s guard during KRON4 interview

Conditions of his pre-trial release include: He must stay at least 300 yards away from the mayor and the SJPD officer; he cannot possess any weapons; and he is subject to random searches by police. His home address is listed as a homeless shelter in downtown, court records show.

This week, Slack is urging the city manager and police chief to double the size of Mayor Mahan’s security detail.

Slack wrote on behalf of the SJPOA, “At no time should the Mayor be accompanied by any fewer than two sworn SJPD officers. The immediate doubling of the detail should coincide with an urgent and rigorous threat assessment to determine the appropriate level of security for the Mayor, his family, residence and work site.”

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