An Austin, Texas, security officer was seen on video being attacked while on duty, a situation that prompted him to publicly quit his job after his supervisor said “every bit” of it was fault.
What started as a normal evening shift with Priebe Security for Percy Payne quickly took a turn for the worse when two men, Hispanic males believed to be between ages 17 and 20, were shown on surveillance video attempting to break into his personal vehicle at an office building.
After approaching the men, whom he noted were both on electric scooters, Payne said the suspects fled. However, when he followed and attempted to detain them, things got violent
“A young individual tried to run me over with his scooter multiple times,” the Austin security officer told FOX 7 Austin. “And then that’s when they started to assault.” He added that one of the men had a screwdriver in his pocket. Once he realized they were going to try to stab him, he ran to call 911.
Payne got a dispatcher on the line. After declining medical attention from EMS, he said the woman informed him that officers would not be dispatched to the location.
“Even though I told her I had been assaulted, she told me, ‘We will not be sending police officers out there because they did not steal your car,’” Payne recalled. “And that is when I hung up.”
During his second attempt, the new operator apologized, and when an officer arrived roughly an hour after the call, Payne reported that he was helpful. Currently, the incident is being “investigated as an aggravated assault,” according to FOX 7.
The Austin Police Department (APD) confirmed that both 911 calls were handled properly according to protocol. The department noted that an officer was not offered to come to the scene because it did not meet key criteria, including having the suspects on the scene, necessary medical attention from an EMS crew, or a stolen vehicle to dispatch someone to the location.
As Payne was interviewed by FOX 7, his supervisor walked up to him and asked to stop participating in the interview during his shift.
Payne received backlash from his job for conducting an interview with the outlet in uniform during a shift, which his supervisor confirmed was against company policy. After an argument ensued between the two, he quit his job.
Additionally, the supervisor said that “every bit” of what happened to Payne was his fault.
“The fact that my supervisor basically told me it was my fault that I got assaulted,” he explained, “that let me know all that I needed to know.”
A representative for Priebe Security said the company is “in the process of gathering details. We have been made aware of it and are looking into the situation.
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