Former UC Davis police officer, John Pike, was fired after infamously pepper-spraying a collection of seated students during a 2011 Occupy protest.
Now, Pike is filing for worker's compensation, claiming that his confrontation with students, and the resulting backlash, has caused him "psychiatric injury."
On the surface, Pike's request seems absurd. However, reviewing video of the incident, which is still shocking to watch, makes Pike's request not only seem absurd, but provocative as well. For he is attempting to claim the mantle of victimhood, and by doing so, legitimize his perspective that a group of peaceful students were, in fact, an unruly, dangerous mob. That police brutality was in order.
It's unclear from Pike's filing whether or not he is seeking compensation for the psychic distress caused by his confrontation with peaceful students, the threats he received after pepper spraying them, or a combination of both.
Regardless, one thing is for sure: no distress would have been caused to anyone had Pike, and the other riot-gear-wearing officers, not attacked a group of unarmed, seated university students.