Officer Pleads Innocence In Assault

A police officer in Irvine, Calif., has pleaded not guilty to assault and battery charges after allegedly attacking a security guard while attending a July concert at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

Detective Sean Crawford was reportedly off duty when he attended the July Dropkick Murphys / Mighty Mighty Bosstones show at the Pacific Amphitheatre. After Dropkick Murphys’ set, Crawford attempted to rush the stage, getting into an altercation with security guard Peggie Sue Walden, according to court documents obtained by the Orange County Register.

When Walden yelled and tried to block Crawford’s path, he allegedly struck her on the neck, under the chin and on the right side of her chest, knocking her to the ground, a sheriff’s department spokesman told the paper.

Security staff who claimed to be witnesses called the sheriff’s department, and Crawford, who was believed to be under the influence of alcohol during the incident, was taken into custody, the spokesman said.

Irvine police said in a statement that the department had “initiated an administrative investigation into the allegations and placed the employee on administrative leave.”

Crawford is scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing October 7.