A former University of California, Davis cop who was seen callously pepper spraying Occupy student protestors in a controversial 2011 viral video will receive a $38,000 workers' compensation settlement because he claims he received death threats after the incident.
John Pike, 40, said he suffered depression and anxiety from all the backlash he got after the confrontation in November 2011. Photos and video footage from the protest show Pike dressed in riot gear pepper spraying a line of seated demonstrators as onlookers screamed, "Shame on you!"
Because of his actions, Pike was placed on administrative leave for eight months and ultimately fired in July 2012.
Editor's Note: ObamaCare Is Here. Are You Prepared?
Now, a judge has approved a $38,056 workers' compensation settlement after a psychiatrist found that Pike has faced "continuing and significant internal and external stress with respect to resolving and solving the significant emotional upheavals that have occurred."
That's more than his sprayed victims received when they filed a $1 million federal lawsuit against UC Davis. The judge in that case awarded the 21 plaintiffs who were
pepper sprayed and arrested $30,000 each, according to the Davis Enterprise.
The Pike settlement "sends a clear message to the next officer nervously facing off with a group of passive, unarmed students: Go on ahead. Brutalize them. Trample their rights. You will be well taken care of," Bernie Goldsmith, a Davis lawyer who defended the protesters, told the Enterprise.
Editor's Note: Do You Support Obamacare? Vote in Urgent National Poll
Related stories:
Cop vs. Squirrel: Who Won Pepper-Sprayed Shootout at Dollar General?
Calif. Police's Pepper Spraying University Students Stirs Controversy
Proving Crime in Walmart Pepper Spray Could Be Difficult
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.