Watch the Cringe TikTok Videos That Got an LA Cop Fired

Ivan D. Sarabia-Medina was a bull with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for 16 years earlier his TikTok videos got him fired. Sarabia-Medina loved being a constabulary officer, but helium loved posting more. When helium was caught posting connected the job, helium lied astir doing it. The lies were obvious, stupid, and easy checked. His vocation arsenic a instrumentality enforcement is present over, but his TikToks unrecorded connected acknowledgment to a playlist enactment unneurotic by the California Commission connected Peace Officer Standards and Training

The saddest happening astir Sarabia-Medina’s TikTok vocation is that it wasn’t precise good. Investigators saved 16 abstracted videos they utilized to extremity the man’s vocation and they’re each beauteous similar. Sarabia-Medina appears successful afloat uniform, often successful his patrol car oregon the constabulary station, and helium mugs for the camera for a fewer seconds.

Cataloging the weapons helium has entree to is simply a communal theme. “These are bully close here,” Sarabia-Medina says, showing disconnected stun grenades. “You privation to support that pin successful determination astatine each times.” The camera pans to amusement a paintball-style weapon that launches pellets filled with capsicum powder. “And, of course, the pepperball. That’s a amusive 1 too. So. Cool. Let’s bash it.”

In different video Sarabia-Medina is besides successful afloat azygous portion helium spins astir successful an bureau chair. The words “HIT THE LIKE BUTTON TIKTOK!” interval supra his head. “What are you doing,” helium says, bending implicit the camera. “Why are you not hitting the similar button? Come on. Go ahead. Like it. There you go.” He leans backmost and spins successful his seat again.

A third video shows Sarabia-Medina going done an In-N-Out drive-thru to prime up a Flying Dutchman. “IN & OUT FLYING DUTCHMAN 50% OFF, THANK YOU SIR!” work the words floating supra the cop’s head. Then helium sits successful the drive-thru portion the unseen cashier tells him that they’re moving connected his discount.

Documents about the investigation marque it wide that Sarabia-Medina was successful occupation for the TikToks, but what got him fired was lying to interior affairs erstwhile they started to look into it. According to the documents, interior affairs began an probe aft a retired LASD sergeant noticed the TikToks and called to complain. After IA started going done the videos they recovered respective problems.

“The videos showed Respondent activating a taser successful his manus portion successful azygous and successful a constabulary vehicle. Respondent was besides seen wrong the Walnut Station (Respondent’s work station) critiquing different TikTok user’s video related to hunt and seizure. Respondent made further TikTok videos portion wrong Walnut Station, 1 specified video was filmed successful the presumption armory and showed Respondent manipulating a shotgun successful his hands and different video manipulating a less-lethal limb and pointing it astatine the camera. Respondent made different videos from the interior of his patrol conveyance which showed his Mobile Digital Computer (MDC), the vehicle’s takedown lights illuminating the exterior of the conveyance and showing the interior of the conveyance and the vehicle’s inventory of weapons. Respondent recorded himself receiving a gratuity successful the signifier of a discounted repast portion connected duty, successful a constabulary vehicle, and successful afloat section uniform. The LASD reviewed a full of 26 TikTok videos for their investigation.”

When investigators questioned Sarabia-Medina astir the TikToks, helium repeatedly lied astir being connected work during filming, adjacent erstwhile it was obvious. The upload times of the videos, clocks successful the inheritance of the recording, and adjacent his ain wristwatch—visible successful respective recordings—give distant that the bull was filming TikToks connected duty. They adjacent recovered the receipt for his In-N-Out purchase, included successful the probe documents, that proved helium was expected to beryllium moving portion helium was dicking astir successful a drive-thru.

Transcripts of the probe are infuriating. Sarabia-Medina sticks to his prevarication nary substance what. In 1 video helium looks straight astatine the camera and gives the nonstop date, day, and time. He complains astir being bushed and acceptable for 2 days off. He told investigators that helium was disconnected work erstwhile helium recorded the video.

“So, the crushed wherefore I said it’s 3 AM—it’s not needfully due to the fact that it was 3 AM; I was trying to represent to my followers that it was 3 AM and I was tired,” helium said during the interview. “That was really astatine the extremity of my shift. I was getting acceptable to unload my worldly and I decided to marque that video. It’s not communal that I would say, ‘Oh hey guys it’s, you know, 2 successful the morning, I’m tired, I conscionable got disconnected call—and I could beryllium sitting successful my store oregon sitting successful the parking lot.’ It’s conscionable thing that, you know, I’ve done successful the past.”

The interviewer pressed. “What was your intent? To deceive your followers by giving them the incorrect time?”

Serbia-Medina said it was each an act. “It’s catchy. A batch of the followers, you know, they privation to spot officers connected work oregon going to 10-8. Since I cognize I can’t spell 10-8 and amusement myself, I volition sometimes unreal that I’m connected work erstwhile I’m not connected duty.”

Investigators besides pressed him connected his propensity to amusement disconnected weapons successful videos. “Do you deliberation that anyone who sees this video tin presume that section members are trigger-happy since we person respective videos wherever we’re displaying weaponry, whether lethal oregon nonlethal?”

“Yeah I won’t speculate arsenic to what idiosyncratic other mightiness assume,” Sarabina-Medina said.

“Well, bash you deliberation idiosyncratic tin infer we’re trigger-happy based connected respective TikTok Videos you posted connected your relationship showing lethal and less-lethal weapons?”

And here, helium the TikTok bull yet relented. “Yeah, the rubric of the video says 15000 Volts, Please Fight Us In Court, Not On the Street. It’s meant arsenic a connection to say, you know, delight don’t combat constabulary officers, you know, conscionable hold ‘til you spell to tribunal and past you tin authorities your lawsuit successful court.”

Sarabina-Medina’s instrumentality enforcement vocation ended successful a nightmare. He was pulled into a country and interrogated astir his posts. Investigators made him reply for each anserine determination helium made erstwhile helium turned connected the camera and tried to go a societal media star.

In 1 of the videos that genuinely sank him, Sarabina-Medina filmed a dull duet with a lawyer explaining the rules astir unlawful hunt and seizure. Once again, helium claimed helium was disconnected work astatine the clip of filming. “There is nary nonstop grounds different than Respondent’s ain assertion that helium recorded this video astatine the extremity of his shift; to the contrary, determination is nonstop grounds refuting Respondent’s assertion. Respondent’s wristwatch showed the video was recorded astatine 0205 hours (2:05 AM). The responsive told investigators this video was recorded astatine the extremity of his shift—that was intelligibly not the case,” the probe said.