Chilling effect of Fresno cop’s lawsuit

I’ve been waiting to see some comments or to get more information about The Bee story of the cop suing McDonald’s (Jan. 28) Briefly, the article stated that McDonald’s called 911 to report a worker fighting with a manager.

A Fresno Police Department officer showed up, wound up in a scuffle and both went to the floor while the suspect grabbed the officer’s baton and got a few whacks in. The officer prevailed, and the suspect was hauled off to jail. The officer was checked out at the hospital and took a few days off.

Now this is where I am confused. The officer is suing both the suspect and McDonald’s. I support the police and wouldn’t want their job, but isn’t that the risk they take every day when they pin on that badge? Any on-the-job injury surely is taken care of by the department or the police union.

Next time, does McDonald’s or any small employer or even homeowner hesitate before calling the police for fear of facing a lawsuit? Please explain this to me.

This story was originally published February 18, 2016 at 6:41 AM with the headline "Chilling effect of Fresno cop’s lawsuit."