UPDATE:
The deputy has been identified as Jerald S. Alderman. He is being booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and one count of using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.
According to FDLE records, Alderman has been a law enforcement officer in Florida since 2002. He started his career at the Royal Palm Beach Police Department, and moved to PBSO when the sheriff's department took over Royal Palm Beach in 2006.
He is currently on administrative leave with pay, according to spokeswoman Teri Barbera.
WPTV reached out to Alderman's wife who said she had no comment.
Alderman is expected to appear at first appearance and face his charges on Friday.
EARLIER STORY:
West Palm Beach police are investigating an incident involving an off-duty Palm Beach County deputy from over the weekend.
It happened early Saturday morning in the 300 block of Banyan Blvd. in downtown West Palm Beach.
Cell phone video showed a man, identified by police as a PBSO deputy, holding a gun and yelling profanities at a group of men in a car, telling them to leave a parking lot.
"If I see you downtown again tonight, guess what’s going to happen?" the deputy said.
“What’s going to happen?” one of the men responded.
“Get the [EXPLETIVE] out of here now," the deputy said.
On Tuesday, West Palm Beach police confirmed they're investigating the incident involving the off-duty PBSO deputy. What police won’t confirm is what led up to the events in the video.
WPTV has been working to get surveillance video showing what happened before the men in the car started recording. We spoke with one of them who said he was inside the vehicle when the off-duty deputy approached them.
"I mean, it terrified me. I didn’t know what to do," the man, who did not want to be identified because of his safety, told WPTV. "I didn’t know how to handle the situation."
The cell phone video showed the deputy, whom WPTV is not identifying because he's not charged with any crime, tapping his gun on the car door before walking off.
Then moments later, West Palm Beach police arrived in the parking lot. Video captured by a bystander showed the deputy being questioned by police and then eventually let go.
The man inside the car told WPTV he’s just thankful the incident was caught on camera.
"What if you didn’t have that video?" WPTV's Sabirah Rayford asked him on Tuesday.
“I don’t know know how it could of turned out," he said.
West Palm Beach police said they are working with the State Attorney's Office on the investigation, but at last check, no charges have been filed.
A spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said the deputy is on paid administrative leave.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office released the following statement:
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office holds its employees to the highest standards and never forgets about its duty to preserve the public’s trust. Unfortunately sometimes an employee makes a bad decision which leads to misconduct. This misconduct was reported, investigated and subsequently determined to be criminal in nature, resulting in his arrest. The Sheriff’s Office will remain vigilant to insure that our efforts are professional and meet the high standards that the public has come to expect.
