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911 Tapes Show Confusion After Cop Pulls Gun In Wal-Mart

OSWEGO, Ill. (CBS) -- The 911 tapes have been released from an incident at a Wal-Mart store in Oswego on Super Bowl Sunday, in which an off-duty Kendall County Sheriff's deputy pulled a gun on a customer at one of the registers.

As WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports, the tapes document the confusion the emergency dispatchers encountered from callers at the Wal-Mart at 2300 Route 34 in Oswego just after noon on Feb. 5.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports

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"There's a shooting situation. They said, 'Call 911 now,'" a 911 caller tells a dispatcher.

"Have shots been fired?" the dispatcher repeats twice.

"No, they have not," the caller says.

"There's a guy in Wal-Mart brandishing a gun," another caller says.

One caller got it right.

"There's a police officer… and he pulled his gun on the guy," she said.

Another caller who was closer to the action figured it out too.

"We got a police officer and he's trying to arrest someone right now. He pushed the police officer and he needs back-up," the caller said.

The dispatcher asks the caller whether he's in the parking lot.

"No we're in No. 2 check-out," the man replies.

In the background, a man — presumably the deputy — can be heard yelling, "Get down on the ground."

The officer, who was in street clothes, was alleged to have said something about a pregnant woman about holding up the line. Her husband, Jason Thurmond, said she looked upset and confronted the officer – not knowing he was a police officer.

Thurmond told the officer to get into another line. At that point, Thurmond, who is 5 feet 5 inches tall and 355 pounds according to court records, said the off-duty deputy stepped toward him.

Thurmond admits he then shoved the deputy. At that point, the officer pulled out his gun and pointed it at Thurmond's chest, Thurmond said.

At that point, the officer drew his gun, leading confused shoppers to call 911.

Dispatchers said they were getting numerous calls. It was initially unclear to dispatchers whether the deputy and the customer both had guns or just the officer. A woman who said she was standing about 30 feet from the deputy and Thurmond tried to describe the scene.

Oswego Police Detective Rob Sherwood said his department's investigation showed Thurmond did not know the deputy was a police officer because he was not wearing his uniform. Had Thurmond known he was a police officer and still chosen to shove him, he could have been charged with a felony.

Thurmond is scheduled to be in court March 28. He has filed a complaint with the sheriff's office.

The Aurora Beacon-News contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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