William Gatlin
William Gatlin is an LAPD officer who responded to the May 21, 2016 domestic disturbance call at 849 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles as part of a second-response unit alongside Officer Diener. He arrived after Officers Saenz and Hadden had already handled the initial call. He had no prior involvement with the parties and no independent knowledge of events inside the penthouse that evening.
Testimony Impact
Gatlin testified that he and Diener arrived at penthouse 3 at 10:24 PM as second responders, already aware the earlier officers had handled the call. He described observing Heard at roughly 10–15 feet in dim lighting, noting he did not ask to examine her face or interview any of the five to six people present. He confirmed his CAD entry of "verbal argument only" was derived from reviewing how Officers Saenz and Hadden had closed out the earlier report — not from any independent assessment. Body cam footage from Defendant's Exhibits 2–5 was played in court showing the officers' arrival and the encounter with Josh Drew discouraging entry. Critically, Gatlin conceded he was not in a position to testify whether Depp did or did not commit domestic violence that night, substantially limiting the evidentiary weight Depp's team could draw from the police response.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“Pretty low level of cooperation.”
Gatlin's characterization of the occupants directly undercuts any inference that the absence of a complaint indicated no abuse — the witnesses were actively uncooperative.
“Based on her refusing to give any statement on what had occurred, and, at the time, we did not observe any visible or verifiable injuries to her.”
Gatlin's own explanation of his 'not a victim' conclusion rests solely on Heard's silence and the low-light, distant visual check — not any affirmative finding.
“I don't believe I'm in the position to testify whether he did or did not because I was not there when the incident potentially occurred.”
Explicit admission that limits the evidentiary weight of the LAPD response: the officer's observations cannot confirm or deny the underlying domestic violence allegation.
Key Moments
Gatlin establishes that he and Officer Diener arrived at 10:24 PM as second responders, and that he already knew Officers Saenz and Hadden had handled the earlier call — framing his visit as a follow-up check, not a fresh investigation.
Day 10 · Direct of William Gatlin
Bredehoft introduces the TOMSG administrative log (LAPD 11) showing an automated message at 10:22:30 informing Gatlin's unit the call was the same incident, establishing he had prior notice before arriving.
Day 10 · Direct of William Gatlin
Gatlin admits his CAD entry 'verbal argument only' was taken from how Officers Saenz and Hadden had closed out the earlier call, not from his own observation or independent interviews — undercutting the entry as an original finding.
Day 10 · Direct of William Gatlin
Gatlin describes observing Heard at 10–15 feet in dim lighting without asking to examine her for injuries, without interviewing any of the five to six people present, and characterizing the occupants' cooperation level as 'pretty low.'
Day 10 · Direct of William Gatlin
Body cam footage from Defendant's Exhibits 2–5 is played in court, showing the officers arriving at penthouse 3 and Josh Drew discouraging them from entering — providing the jury a visual record of the encounter.
Day 10 · Direct of William Gatlin
Gatlin explicitly concedes he is not in a position to testify whether Depp did or did not commit domestic violence that night, because he was not present when the incident potentially occurred — a direct acknowledgment that the LAPD response cannot serve as an affirmative finding.
Day 10 · Direct of William Gatlin
Locations
Evidence From Their Proceedings (6)
ECB Still: Gatlin and Officer Diener (22:28:15, May 21, 2016)
Still frame from Eastern Columbia Building security footage dated May 21, 2016 at 22:28:15, showing both William Gatlin and Officer Diener together in the frame.
Catalog entry →ECB Still: Officer Diener Arrival (22:28:14, May 21, 2016)
Still frame extracted from Eastern Columbia Building security footage dated May 21, 2016 at 22:28:14, showing Officer Diener.
Catalog entry →Heard Face Photos Shown to Gatlin — Def. 7, 8, 9
Photographs apparently of Heard, designated as Defendant's Exhibits 7, 8, and 9, shown to witness Gatlin during a video review. Bredehoft asked Gatlin to connect the person…
Catalog entry →LAPD Incident Recall — Gatlin/Diener Unit and TOMSG Log, May 21, 2016
The LAPD incident recall for Officers Gatlin and Diener's May 21, 2016 response to 849 S. Broadway, including the TOMSG administrative data log (LAPD 11) showing the inter-unit…
Catalog entry →Officer Diener Body Camera Footage — May 21, 2016
Body camera footage from Officer Diener's camera recording the arrival at penthouse 3 and the encounter with occupants on May 21, 2016. Shows dim lighting, distance from Heard,…
Catalog entry →Officer Gatlin Body Camera Footage — May 21, 2016
Body camera footage from Officer Gatlin's own camera recording the same May 21, 2016 penthouse encounter from a second angle. Gatlin confirmed on the stand that this footage was…
Catalog entry →