James Mee, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy who arrested actor Mel Gibson for DUI in Malibu in 2006, will be fired, according to multiple reports.
The department is reportedly firing Mee for pursuing and attempting to stop an allegedly drunk driver in 2011. The driver was traveling at about 30 mph, but accelerated when Mee took up pursuit and collided with two gas station pumps, causing an explosion.
The department alleges Mee violated its pursuit policy and did not immediately inform emergency officials there was a crash, according to reports. But Mee’s legal representatives say Mee did reach out for help, and that the department’s decision is retaliation for the events surrounding Gibson’s 2006 DUI arrest.
Mee sued the department after arresting Gibson, alleging his superiors pressured him to redact four pages of his arrest report which detailed an anti-semitic rant by Gibson toward Mee, who is Jewish. Those pages eventually surfaced in the media, and Mee’s lawyers claim he was unfairly suspected of leaking the documents because he is Jewish. Mee also alleged he had been passed over for promotions since the incident.
The lawsuit was settled earlier this year for $50,000.