UC Davis Pepper Spray Cop Receives $38,000 Payout - East Idaho News
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UC Davis Pepper Spray Cop Receives $38,000 Payout

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GETTY 102413 Settlement?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1382630223133iStock/Thinkstock(DAVIS, Calif.) — A former University of California, Davis, police officer who was fired after pepper spraying a group of students staging a protest in 2011, and whose actions went viral on the Internet, was awarded $38,000 from the university in a worker’s compensation settlement.

The payout is about $8,000 more than each of three dozen students received in their settlement with the school earlier this year.

Former police lieutenant John Pike repeatedly sprayed a group of unarmed seated students during a Nov. 18, 2011 demonstration against tuition hikes.  He was fired as a result of his actions.

Pike, however, filed a worker’s compensation claim in August 2013, claiming he sustained a “psychiatric injury” after receiving tens of thousands of angry or threatening emails after the video went viral.

“This case has been resolved in accordance with state law and processes on workers’ compensation.  The final resolution is in line with permanent impairment as calculated by the state’s disability evaluation unit,” university spokesman Andy Fell said in a statement.

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