Temecula man who dared deputy to arrest him gets $498,000 for wrongful arrest suit Warned he might be taken into custody for interfering with an investigation, plaintiff Gregory Whaling told the deputy: ‘I bet you won’t’ By Tony Saavedra | tsaavedra@scng.com | Orange County Register UPDATED: March 7, 2025 at 7:03 AM PST Riverside County has paid $498,000 to settle a wrongful arrest lawsuit by a Temecula man who dared a sheriff’s deputy to arrest him. Deputy Robert Glaser, a 14-year-veteran, made the arrest and was ultimately fired, a punishment so severe that it surprised even the victim’s lawyer.“ It’s like a nothing use of force. … I have seen much worse behavior by Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputy sheriffs,” said attorney Jerry Steering, who represented victim Gregory Whaling. Whaling had undergone surgery on both his knees shortly before his arrest on Sept. 14, 2022. Warned by Glaser that he could be arrested for interfering as the deputy was questioning a suspect in a dispute, Whaling showed his knees and said, “I bet you won’t.” In an email, the Sheriff’s Department said the deputy was terminated after an internal investigation sustained several allegations of misconduct, including unnecessary force. According to the federal lawsuit, Glaser was called to a Temecula apartment complex for an incident involving what the suit called a “homeless” man. Residents were complaining about the man, who told Glaser he was staying there with a friend. While Glaser was questioning the man, Whaling walked by, using a cane. The man told the deputy that Whaling had been harassing him, prompting Whaling to shout at the man, according to a bodycam recording obtained by the Southern California News Group. The footage shows Glaser telling Whaling to go to another area where the deputy would talk to him later. Whaling refused. While Glaser was questioning the man, Whaling walked by, using a cane. The man told the deputy that Whaling had been harassing him, prompting Whaling to shout at the man, according to a bodycam recording obtained by the Southern California News Group.The footage shows Glaser telling Whaling to go to another area where the deputy would talk to him later. Whaling refused. The following exchange then occurred: Glaser: “Go over there or you’re going to end up in the back of my car.” Whaling: “I ain’t getting (expletive).” Glaser: “You don’t think I will put you in the back of my car?” Whaling: “I bet you won’t. Not with these (he shows his two knees). I bet you won’t.” Glaser: “Turn around and put your hands behind your back, you’re impeding my investigation, sir.” When Whaling began struggling with Glaser, the deputy said, “Put your hands behind your back or you’re going to end up getting Tased. ”Whaling did not get Tased. Glaser took him to the ground and tried to get Whaling’s hands behind his back. Glaser can be seen calling for backup and holding Whaling down until help arrived. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO Whaling was arrested and taken to the detention center in Murrieta, where he was held for 11 1/2 hours before he was released. Prosecutors ultimately declined to file charges. “It’s not a big deal use of force, it’s not,” Steering said. But, he added, the deputy “had no right to do anything” to Whaling. The lawsuit, alleging unreasonable seizure, unreasonable use of force and false arrest, sought at least $3 million in damages. Glaser’s attorney, Michael Williamson, said the lawsuit and the administrative case against the fired deputy were based on “the flimsiest of evidence.” Williamson said Whaling’s race — he is Black — elevated the county’s reaction. “This was a big nothing,” he said. “The fact is, unfortunately he had a cane, unfortunately he was a Black man … it was not a beatdown. In this case, his mouth caused his problem. ”Williamson added: “Could this have been better? Absolutely … but this is much ado about nothing.”- ————————————————————————————————————————————————- Temecula Man Awarded $500,000 for False Arrest for Daring Riverside County Deputy Sheriff to Arrest Him Deputy Sheriff Fired for False Arrest & Excessive Force Newport Beach, CA, February 28, 2025 On September 14, 2022 at approximately 6:30 p.m. Gregory Bruce Whaling, Jr. was walking his dog with his longtime girlfriend and partner of 35 years, Karen Porter, at his apartment complex; the Madera Vista Apartments on Margarita Road in Temecula, California. Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Sheriff Robert Glaser was speaking with a “homeless” man named “Ed”, when plaintiff Gregory Whaling and Karen Porter were walking by them on the way to their apartment the Madera Vista Apartments. Deputy Glaser was at the Madera Vista Apartments in response to a call for service, complaining about “Ed”’s behavior by one of the residents of the Apartments to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. As Gregory Whaling and Karen Porter, were walking to their apartment on the sidewalk by Deputy Glaser and “Ed”, “Ed” told Deputy Glaser there goes one of the persons who has been complaining about him; Gregory Whaling. Gregory Whaling acknowledged to Depuy Glaser that he had complained about “Ed”, and Gregory Whaling and Karen Porter then kept on walking away from the two toward their apartment. Even though plaintiff Gregory Whaling and Karen Porter kept walking away from Deputy Glaser, Deputy Glaser yelled to Mr. Whaling to “Go over there”; away from them, which they did.As Gregory Whaling and Karen Porter continued walking away from “Ed” and Deputy Glaser, for some bizarre reason Deputy Glaser told Mr. Whaling to “Go over there, I’ll be with you”, and “Go over there or I’m going to put you in the back of my car”. In response to the threat by Deputy Glaser to put Mr. Whaling in his patrol car, Mr. Whaling stopped walking away from Deputy Glaser, turned around, pulled up his shorts legs and told Deputy Glaser “I’ll be you won’t; not with these”; showing Deputy Glaser his surgical scars from his double knee replacement surgeries. Moreover, Mr. Whaling was barely walking with the aid of a cane. Deputy Glaser then rushed up to Mr. Whaling and told him that he was under arrest. Deputy Glaser grabbed Mr. Whaling and told him to put his hands behind his back, and Mr. Whaling dropped his cane and was trying not to fall down on his obviously injured knees. Deputy Glaser told Mr. Whaling that if he didn’t place his right hand behind his back that he was going to tase him. Mr. Whaling was protested to Deputy Glaser, “For what?” and “What did I do?”, and Deputy Glaser said for interfering with his investigation; an absurd statement. Mr. Whaling was already scheduled for another replacement knee surgery on both of his knees, and the knee replacements that he had done were coming lose. Deputy Glaser then grabbed Mr. Whaling, tackled him down onto the sidewalk, handcuffed him and took Gregory Whaling to jail on a bogus charge of violation of Cal. Penal Code § 148(a)(1); resisting / obstructing / delaying a peace officer in the performance of his duties. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office declined to file criminal charges against Mr. Whaling, and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department fired Deputy Glaser for falsely arresting and using excessive force upon Mr. Whaling. Gregory Whaling’s lawyer, Newport Beach Civil Rights Attorney Jerry L. Steering said that he was surprised that the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department fired Deputy Glaser: “I have been suing the police for 41 years now, and have been suing the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department since the mid-1980s. I have seen much worse behavior by Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputy sheriffs and have seen literally hundreds of false arrests and fabricated criminal prosecutions for resistance offenses such as violations of Cal. Penal Code § 148(a)(1) by Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputy sheriffs. I have never seen a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputy sheriff get disciplined at all for falsely arresting an innocent for a resistance offense, or for wrongfully beating or tasing or pepper-spraying, or even wrongfully shooting and killing innocent people.” Gregory Whaling sued Deputy Glaser and the County of Riverside for his false arrest and the use of force upon him during the September 14, 2022 incident; Gregory Bruce Whaling, Jr. v. County of Riverside and Robert Glaser, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Case Number 5:23-cv-01817-DSF-SP The County of Riverside settled that case for $498,000.00.
