SAN ANTONIO — The restaurant Fogo De Chao Monday posted a response to claims on social media that an officer was asked to leave because he was carrying a firearm.
The post, which is on a private Facebook account, said that an SAPD sergeant was celebrating the birthday of a family member and was in a "soft uniform" with his badge displayed. The post said the manager of the restaurant asked him to leave, citing a no-guns policy within the restaurant.
The restaurant Monday apologized for the incident via Facebook, calling it a mistake. The restaurant says they are working to address the error with staff members to prevent it from happening in the future.
The post reads in part:
"We made a mistake by asking him to leave and sincerely apologize to the officer and to the San Antonio Police Department for this unfortunate lapse in judgment. We are working hard to address and correct the matter, and that includes us apologizing directly to the officer and training our team members on the laws in relation to firearms on business premises."
Click here to view full post.
The San Antonio Police Department also sent a response to KENS 5 to say there were no hard feelings. The statement reads:
“This incident was a misunderstanding of Texas law as it applies to peace officers. In this case, the employee was apologetic and professional during the encounter with the off-duty officer. The manager never told the off-duty officer that police were not welcome at the restaurant. The General Manager immediately reached out to SAPD to issue an apology and to reinforce their support and respect for law enforcement.”
The president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association, Michael Helle, also responded to the incident.
“We thank the owners of Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse for acknowledging the mistake by one of their employees and for issuing a statement of support of San Antonio Police Officers,” said Helle. “While we hope this wasn’t an example of anti-police bias, at the very least this incident shows that public-serving establishments need to be better educated about state gun laws, particularly as they apply to Police Officers.”