Off-duty cop accused of assaulting same-sex couple after public display of affection

A woman is suing a Hawaii police officer, accusing him of punching her in the face and telling her she could not kiss her partner inside the store. The incident landed the couple in jail.

Courtney Wilson and Taylor Guerrero were shopping at a Foodland location in Pupukea (Oahu’s North Shore) during a vacation in March according to a KGMB report when they were noticed by off-duty HPD officer Bobby Harrison who was still in uniform.

“We were holding hands and I was kissing her cheek,” Guerrero told reporters Wednesday.

“He was like ‘You girls, you girls can’t do that in here.'”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He was like 'You girls, you girls can't do that in here.'"

Both women told reporters that Harrison and a store employee followed them to the store checkout. Harrison was allegedly threatening a trespassing charge due to their behaviour.

The situation escalated further when a confused Wilson called police. She says that’s when Harrison grabbed her arm.

“I got punched in the face by him,” Wilson said. “I split my nose open. We were on the ground.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I got punched in the face by him," Wilson said. "I split my nose open. We were on the ground."

The pair claim they were held down by Foodland employees while zip ties were located and used to handcuff them. The couple claim they endured further harassment after being led to the basement to discuss “our conduct in the store, asking us if it was worth it, if we were happy where we are.”

Both Wilson and Guerrero were charged with assaulting a police officer and say they were forced to use the remainder of their vacation funds to post bail. They slept in a park that night, unable to leave the island.

The Honolulu Police Department has opened an internal investigation.