Reserve Deputy Accused Of Pulling Gun, Threatening Golfers
Player Says Deputy Threatened To Kill Group
August 5, 2005
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A reserve deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department was arrested after he allegedly showed his badge and pulled a gun Sunday on a group of golfers during a dispute in Chino Hills.
Raymond Yi, a martial arts instructor for Sheriff Michael Carona, was arrested Monday. Authorities say he was apparently upset over four golfers’ slow play and pulled out a gun. “I turned around and the guy had a gun pointed at us,” said Gustavo Resendiz. “He said, ‘Freeze,’ with all these nasty words.”
Yi faces four felony charges – two counts of brandishing a handgun and two counts of making criminal threats. The sheriff’s department released a statement Thursday. The statement called the allegations “very serious.” “After both the criminal and internal investigations into this matter have concluded, and if the allegations are found to be true, Reserve Deputy Yi will receive discipline appropriate to the severity of his offense,” the statement said. Yi was suspended from his volunteer duties. His badge and handgun were reclaimed.
Witnesses said Yi repeatedly hit his golf ball into a foursome. On the 14th hole, one of the balls struck one of the players, witnesses said. Resendiz tossed the ball away. Yi, 44, demanded that Resendiz retrieve the ball, then brandished his badge and gun, witnesses said. “I said, ‘Forget about it. You got your ball,’” Resendiz said. “He pushed me and said, ‘You get the heck out of here or I’ll kill you.’”
Los Serranos golf course management said they have never seen anything like the alleged confrontation in the facility’s 80-year history. “You’re only allowed 14 clubs in your bag, and a gun isn’t one of them,” said David Kramer, a spokesman for Los Serranos. “When we’ve had conflicts before based on misunderstandings, I always like to say to golfers, ‘Look, you all came here happy, and I want to see you go home happy.’”
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested Yi.
“The other parties involved felt very threatened by it,” said Cindy Beavers, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. “They reported it to police. Once contact was made with that subject, they determined there was enough evidence to book and release him for the misdemeanor offense.” Yi was sworn in as a reserve deputy in May 2002 after being referred to the department by Carona. His arrest follows an investigation in which some reserves who were political allies of Carona were removed from the state’s peace officer database after it was discovered that they were appointed without background checks.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is working with state officials to reinstate them. Lt. Dennis Assael has been with the O.C. Sheriff’s Reserves for six years. He said the group of 650 men and women is, as a whole, a benefit to the community. “At all times when I have met [Yi], he certainly has conducted himself in a very professional manner,” Assael said. “It’s very difficult for me to understand what happened on the golf course.”
Yi is a father of two. He has a blackbelt in karate.
Authorities told NBC in Losa Angles that Yi’s concealed-weapons permit was expired.