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Commuter Stops Traffic After Motorcycle Cop Drops Shotgun On Freeway

BREA (CBSLA.com) — A local commuter experienced quite a shock when she says a motorcycle police officer dropped his shotgun right in front of her vehicle, and didn't even notice.

Summer Marquardt was driving with a friend to work on Tuesday morning, along the 57 Freeway, when the motorcycle officer moved into her lane in front of her. She says that was when she noticed the weapon being to tip over.

"All of a sudden, the shotgun fell on the floor," Marquardt described. "It hit the ground, it had the barrel pointed at us, and Terry and I were like 'oh my God'."

Summer then slammed on her brakes and laid on her horn to get drivers to stop, and to get the officer's attention. She grabbed pictures on her cell phone as the officer came back around, picked up his weapon, and rode off.

"Even as I'm talking to you about it, I still get goosebumps," Marquardt said. "That was the topic today in our office, we could've been shot."

The shotgun involved in the incident was loaded with ammunition, but was not chambered. That means that it would not have gone off without pulling the trigger.

"Knowing that, by it hitting the ground, that it wouldn't have gone off, that makes me feel better," Marquardt stated.

The CHP says they did not receive notification of the incident, because the weapon was retrieved, but if it had been lost, the officer would be required to notify them.

"He wouldn't have known where it was, they would've had to close down the entire freeway to come back and look for it," Marquardt said. "If I wouldn't have been the person to stop, somebody could've picked it up. We're grateful nothing worse happened."

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