Overview
- Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano said Friday the department placed Sgt. Dusten Mullen on paid administrative leave while an internal investigation nears completion.
- The leave follows a Jan. 30 walkout at Hamilton High School in Chandler where Mullen, off duty and wearing a full-face mask, attended the anti-ICE protest while armed with a holstered handgun and two spare magazines.
- A Chandler police report says Mullen told an officer he planned to let students assault him so they could be arrested and claimed supporters were coming with rifles.
- Chandler police later sent misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct referrals against a teenage girl who threw water, but the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute for lack of a likely conviction.
- Phoenix police say the Professional Standards Bureau will deliver findings to the chief for possible action, and a spokesperson said Mullen had recently completed First Amendment and protest-response training.