CORPUS CHRISTI (Kiii News) -
A Corpus Christi Independent School District police officer who was directing traffic outside of Grant Middle School Wednesday morning was forced to pull his gun on a driver.
During the morning rush as parents are dropping off their kids, totaling around 1,100 for Grand Middle School, there are no crossing guards; just one district police officer.
At around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, the district police officer on duty was forced to draw his weapon after a woman behind the wheel of a car hit him. Witnesses say kids were all over the school property, and saw the entire event.
District officials said the officer was directing traffic when the woman attempted to make a U-Turn and head the wrong way down the street.
Witnesses said the woman, 31-year old Melissa Riojas, was stuck in traffic and confused. However, after repeated commands from the officer at the stop, the driver ended up hitting him.
Riojas was cuffed and taken into custody.
"He was sanding in front of the car, telling her to back up, but she couldn't," said Autumn Gonzalez, a witness who defended Riojas. "She was going to hit the curb, so he kept telling her to back up. She wouldn't do it, so he pulled the gun out on her, which forced her to hit the curb. He just sat there with his gun out."
CCISD Police Chief Kirby Warnke said over the phone that his officer acted appropriately, and that he has an obligation to prevent a person from causing harm to himself or anyone else. The officer, whose name hasn't been released, was checked out. He will be on light duty for a few days.
Parents said traffic problems are a big concern at Grant Middle School, both in the morning and during release. They said there are no crossing guards directing traffic, and that makes it even harder to figure out where to go.
