LAPD Officer Pleads Not Guilty To Assault Outside El Segundo Bar

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A Los Angeles police officer charged with using a gun in an assault outside an El Segundo bar while off-duty last year was arraigned in a downtown L.A. courtroom Tuesday.

Joseph William Rooney, 33, pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court to four counts of assault with a firearm in the attack that occurred on May 22, 2016.

According to the L.A. County district attorney's office, Rooney approached three men as they were leaving a bar, pulled out a handgun and struck one of the men in the face with it. He then pointed the gun at the two other men. The motive in the attack was unclear.

It was not confirmed if Rooney remains on active duty. An LAPD spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times that he was last assigned to the Newton Division.

Rooney's next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 31. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 27 years in state prison.