Video shows incident between Brawley Police Officer and resident
Jessamyn Dodd
BRAWLEY, Calif. (KYMA) – A video circulating on social media has sparked questions about the actions of a Brawley police officer, prompting the department to release a statement.
Ring camera and witness video appear to show Brawley Police Officer Dryoff refusing to turn on his body-worn camera before allegedly challenging a resident to a fight.
“Turn on your body cam. I am asking you, OK,, turn on your body cam please if you’re gonna be here in this conversation I want your body cam on,” Brawley resident George Doilez says in the video.
The officer then turns and and says, “Go (beep) yourself.”
Doilez says he called police on June 29, after seeing a neighbor swinging what he described as a machete-type weapon.
The encounter escalated into a verbal back and forth with Officer Dryoff, Doilez and neighbor Abbi Solaris, raising concerns about the officer’s conduct.
“I requested that he, just for accountability, purposes that he please turn on his body cam. I think I said that two or three times in the video I was able to get,” Doilez told KYMA in an interview.
Doilez and Solaris spoke on record at a Brawley City Council meeting this week detailing the incident. He says this has been an ongoing issue.
“We’ve been having them out here, and they disregard…They don’t take the grievances seriously, and they treat us like the enemy when we’re calling for help,” Doilez explained. “And it’s been this way for a long time with Brawley Police Department,” he added.
The Brawley Police Department (BPD) released a statement saying in part, “an investigation is currently in progress.”
Solaris says he was tending to his grandchildren when he heard the commotion and went outside. He was concerned about the man with the weapon.
“I walked in, I hear the officer yelling, so I came outside and I saw him stand up,” Solaris said.
“He goes, ‘You’re talking to me. Dude, you wanna fight? You wanna fight a police officer or what?,'” Solaris recalled, saying his grandchildren were scared.
Both men say they just want answers as to what the protocol is for body cameras.
At this time, KYMA does not know if the officer has been placed on leave or if he is facing any disciplinary action.
Our newsroom reached out to BPD for an interview. However, they said due to the nature of the investigation, they will not be commenting further at this time.