• COVID-19 Resources
  • Administrative Law
  • Liquor Law – ABC – OLCC
  • Employment Law
  • GAMING: Internet & Casino
  • Land Use
  • Personal Injury & Wrongful Death
Call Us Now: 800.405.4222
Solomon Saltsman & Jamieson - SSJ Law
  • Home
  • Practice Areas
    • Administrative Law
    • Alcohol and Liquor Law: ABC | OLCC
    • Employment Law
    • GAMING: Internet & Casino
    • Land Use
    • Personal Injury & Wrongful Death
  • Our Team
  • Articles
  • Community Service
  • Resources
  • Contact Us
    • The Firm
    • AV Rating
    • Client List
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Ex-Slidebar bouncer: I knew Kelly Thomas report was false

in Employment Law, News

Originally published June 13, 2012 by Doug Irving at The Orange County Register

Michael Reeves, center, prepares to read a brief statement flanked by his attorneys, Stephen Allen Jamieson (standing) and Stephen Warren Solomon (right)

Michael Reeves, center, prepares to read a brief statement flanked by his attorneys, Stephen Allen Jamieson
(standing) and Stephen Warren Solomon (right). DOUG IRVING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

An ex-bouncer who claims he heard the phone call that drew Fullerton police officers to their fatal encounter with Kelly Thomas said Wednesday that the call was bogus and he lost his job fighting it.

Michael Reeves was working the door at the Slidebar Rock-n-Roll Kitchen on the night half a dozen officers took down Thomas, an unarmed, mentally ill homeless man who frequented the area. He claims in a lawsuit that a manager at the Slidebar falsely reported that Thomas was trying to break into cars, setting in motion the events that led to his death.

Slidebar owner Jeremy Popoff confirmed this week that one of his employees did call police that night from her cell phone. He declined to say what she reported, citing the criminal investigation into Thomas’ death, but said a recording of the call has been reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office and other investigators.

Neither Popoff nor the manager named in Reeves’ lawsuit has been charged with filing a false police report, court records show.

Reeves appeared Wednesday at a brief press conference in the Playa del Rey office of his attorneys. He read a short statement and then sat quietly as his attorneys answered questions. “I heard (the manager) report that Kelly Thomas was in the parking lot breaking into cars,” he said in his statement. “I knew her report to be false.”

The Slidebar fired Reeves in September; its attorney says he confronted a manager in front of customers. He claims he was fired for complaining about the police report and talking to the District Attorney’s Office about it. He filed suit late last week, demanding at least $4 million for lost wages and emotional distress, and to punish the Slidebar.

Reeves says in his lawsuit that Thomas was doing nothing more than picking up cigarette butts outside the Slidebar. He claims the Slidebar had a policy of keeping homeless people like Thomas away – a claim Popoff and his attorney refuted as absurd and insulting.

Reeves’ lawsuit claims that the manager who called police that night ensured a quick response by reporting that Thomas was trying to break into cars. Responding officers arrived on scene thinking there was a crime in progress, he says, not just a loitering homeless man.

“Mr. Reeves heard what he heard,” said Stephen Warren Solomon, one of his attorneys. “And he was terminated for doing the right thing.”

An outside investigator hired by Fullerton to look into the events leading up to Thomas’ death included a recording of that initial phone call in his review. The investigator, Michael Gennaco, reported that the caller told a police dispatcher that a man she identified as “Kelly” was roaming the parking lot, looking into cars and “pulling on handles.” Gennaco did not identify the caller in his initial report.

Police have said officers stopped Thomas as they investigated a car break-in report, and that he struggled when they tried to arrest him. A surveillance video captured two officers tackling and then wrestling with Thomas; four other officers join them and hold Thomas down as some officers hit him and at least one shocks him with a Taser.
Thomas died of chest and head injuries five days later. One of the officers, Manuel Ramos, has been charged with second-degree murder. Another, Jay Cicinelli, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on Reddit
https://ssjlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/SSJLaw-Attorneys-Logo530.png 0 0 ssjadmin https://ssjlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/SSJLaw-Attorneys-Logo530.png ssjadmin2012-06-14 09:35:472012-06-14 09:35:47Ex-Slidebar bouncer: I knew Kelly Thomas report was false

Current Affairs

  • Dozens of Californians cited for allegedly providing alcoholic beverages to minors Saturday.March 15, 2023 - 9:11 pm

    During the weekend of March 11th and 12th, 2023 the ABC worked with nearly fifty local law enforcement agencies and departments across California to conduct “shoulder tap” minor decoy operations…

  • Newsweek Legal Insight Team spotlight on Solomon Saltsman and JamiesonOctober 20, 2022 - 8:46 pm

    NEWSWEEK Premier Law Firms
    Solomon Saltsman and Jamieson
    in the spotlight…

  • Title 4. Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Proposed RegulationsOctober 15, 2022 - 8:21 pm

    Following relaxed policy regulations during the COVID era, the Department has published a proposed rule change to codify Title 4, Rule 70 which will allow licensed premises to serve and allow consumption of alcoholic beverages in permanent non-contiguous areas separate from the main or primary by public area of the licensed premises. There are restrictions and requirements that licensees should be acquainted with if alcohol service is intended or is ongoing in these non-contiguous areas. Proposed Rule 70 is set out in full herein. There will be a public hearing before the Department on November 1, 2022.

  • ABC Launches New Online Licensing Services Portal for Over 90,000 California BusinessesAugust 4, 2022 - 9:18 pm

    The fee waivers became available in February 2021 when Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of immediate actions that provided relief to individuals, families and businesses suffering the most significant economic hardship from the COVID-19 Recession

  • abc alcohol beverage control attorneys los angels CaliforniaTHE CITY OF LOS ANGELES HAS JUST CHANGED ITS LAWSJuly 10, 2022 - 8:15 pm

    On March 31, 2022, the Restaurant Beverage Program (RBP) Ordinance, which expediates the permitting process and lowers costs for eligible sit-down restaurants permitted to sell alcohol went into effect in the City of Los Angeles. Under the new program, qualifying sit-down restaurants can apply to serve alcohol through a 4-week…

LOS ANGELES

426 Culver Boulevard
Playa Del Rey, CA 90293
Toll Free: 800.405.4222
Los Angeles: 310.822.9848
Los[email protected]



BAY AREA

315 Montgomery Street
10th Floor
San Francisco, CA  94104
Toll Free: 800.405.4222
[email protected]



PORTLAND

25 NW 23rd Place, Suite 6 #363
Portland, OR 97210
Toll Free: 800.405.4222
Portland: 503.236.8050
[email protected]



Do you have questions?

email or call us at 800.405.4222

Join Our Email List

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Solomon, Saltsman & Jamieson, 426 Culver Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90293. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Current Affairs & Latest News

Dozens of Californians cited for allegedly providing alcoholic beverages to minors Saturday.

During the weekend of March 11th and 12th, 2023 the ABC worked with nearly fifty local law enforcement agencies and departments across California to conduct “shoulder tap” minor decoy operations…

Read Full Article

DISCLAIMER

Articles posted on our website, were to the best of our knowledge correct at the time they were written, but laws change continuously so no one should rely on what is written in any article as the current state of the law. The reader should always consult a practicing lawyer for an evaluation of how the current law affects any particular factual situation at the time when it occurs. The badges for AVVO®, Million Dollars Advocates Forum®, Martindale Hubbel AV Preeminent®, SuperLawyers®, and BestLawyers®” have been awarded to various specific attorneys at Solomon Saltsman and Jamieson.  See each attorney’s profile for which badges are specifically assigned to him or her.
Full Site Disclaimer

Copyright © 2018 Solomon Saltsman & Jamieson.

Website design by: wwyou.com

Civil lawsuit alleges false police report in beating death of homeless manTemporary Judges: Critical Asset During Budget Crisis
Scroll to top