Mark wrote in July that Lt John Pike, the UC Davis cop who attained notoriety after he sadistically hosed down seated, peaceful protesters with pepper spray, jetting it directly down their throats and into their eyes, had applied for worker’s comp for the psychiatric injuries resulting from everyone in the world thinking he was a horrible, horrible person.
Now he has been awarded $38K by California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. He left his job (which paid nearly $120K), and has had to change addresses and phone numbers several times to dodge harassment from his detractors. Davis settled a lawsuit by the protesters he sprayed for $1M.
More than 17,000 angry or threatening e-mails, 10,000 text messages and hundreds of letters were sent to Pike after the video went viral, according to the police union.
Pike repeatedly changed his phone number and e-mail address and lived in various locations. He left the campus police force in July 2012.
In a statement, UC Davis spokesman Andy Fell said, “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.”
UC Davis pepper-spray officer awarded $38,000 [Joe Garofoli/SFGate]