A pair of California women were shocked Tuesday when the police officer riding a motorcycle in front of them allegedly dropped a shotgun on the freeway. They claim the gun landed with the barrel pointed right at them.
KCAL reports that Ontario, California resident Summer Marquardt and Terry Cox were travelling Southbound on the 57 Freeway towards Anaheim when the unidentified officer lost his weapon.
“All of a sudden, the shotgun fell on the floor,” Marquardt told CBS. “It hit the ground, it had the barrel pointed at us, and Terry and I were like ‘oh my God’.”
Marquardt said on Facebook that she slammed on the breaks and “feverishly honked my horn” to get the attention of the policeman and other motorists. She claims the officer shook his head before reaching down to retrieve his weapon – a moment she captured in a photo.
“Even as I’m talking to you about it, I still get goosebumps,” Marquardt told reporter Rachel Kim. “That was the topic today in our office, we could’ve been shot.”
Kim confirmed with another local officer that the shotguns on police motorcycles are typically always loaded but the ammunition isn’t chambered.
This also isn’t the first time a California police officer lost track of their shotgun. In July 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported that an LAPD officer had lost his shotgun after a locking mechanism broke. It’s unclear whether or not the two incidents are related.
Marquardt, meanwhile, is just happy the incident didn’t get worse.
“If I wouldn’t have been the person to stop, somebody could’ve picked it up. We’re grateful nothing worse happened.”
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