Lincoln police release video of incident involving councilmember. What does it show?

Surveillance footage released by the Lincoln Police Department has offered a closer look at an encounter between City Councilmember Holly Andreatta and local businessman Steven Pagano that has prompted a police investigation following Lincoln’s State of the City address earlier this month.

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Pagano reported the incident to police, alleging that Andreatta engaged in unwanted physical contact during a disagreement at the Sun City Ballroom after the Oct. 20 event. The encounter centered on a proposed City Council candidates forum and a dispute over whether Andreatta had confirmed her participation.

Released late Tuesday night, the footage captures Pagano speaking with Councilmember Ben Brown before approaching Andreatta. The video offers a glimpse into the exchange that has drawn public attention, though questions about the circumstances surrounding the interaction remain under investigation.

“While the video is relevant evidence, it does not necessarily capture every aspect of the incident,” Lincoln Police Chief Zach Eaton said in the social media post with the video attached. “Investigators are reviewing all available evidence, including witness statements and other information, before reaching a determination.”

Video shows separate interactions with council members

The recording opens with Pagano, wearing a black hoodie, speaking with Brown, who is wearing a cowboy hat. Brown’s business partner, Phil Woodman, is also present.

Pagano later described the exchange as respectful, saying he wanted to clarify that organizers had not intended to mislead anyone in arranging the proposed candidate forum.

“I explained that there had never been any trick, hidden agenda, or attempt to embarrass anyone,” Pagano said. “This was an honest community forum that Lincoln residents had expressed overwhelming interest in attending.”

Pagano said he told Brown he was welcome to participate in the forum and that the conversation ended with a handshake. Brown declined to comment to The Sacramento Bee, citing the active investigation.

After the exchange, the footage shows Pagano approaching a group of people that includes Andreatta, who is dressed in all red.

The conversation turns to the candidates forum and the disagreement over whether Andreatta had previously confirmed her participation.

In an earlier Facebook post, Andreatta said organizers had offered two possible dates but that she could not attend because of existing community and family commitments.

“I told Ms. Andreatta that we would NEVER have publicly announced her participation without receiving her confirmation,” Pagano wrote in a statement about the situation on his business account.

According to Pagano, the conversation changed after he showed Andreatta a text message that he said confirmed her participation.

“I walk over to Holly, and once I show that text to Holly, she loses it,” Pagano said. “She doesn’t touch me at all prior to me showing that text. Once I show her that text, a whole lot of touching goes on.”

Footage shows interaction between Andreatta and Pagano

In the released video, Andreatta reaches for Pagano’s wrist as the two speak. She releases it, and the conversation continues. The footage then shows her reaching toward his arm near the elbow and later making contact with his shoulder as they continue to talk.

The two continue speaking and gesturing, video shows. As the exchange progresses, Andreatta crosses her arms and later places her hands in her pockets, while Pagano steps backward and holds his hands behind his back.

At another point, Andreatta appears to initiate a handshake. When Pagano attempts to withdraw, the footage shows continued contact with his arm. The two remain facing each other about a foot apart for approximately 30 seconds before the conversation continues and eventually ends.

Pagano described the interaction as substantially different from his earlier conversation with Brown.

“It was intimidating. It was massively aggressive,” he said. “It was way in our face. So, they were definitely different interactions.”

At the end of the conversation, the pair shake hands before they go their separate ways.

Andreatta said the footage speaks for itself.

“The exchange was initiated by the other individual, drew no attention from those nearby, and ended in a friendly, mutual handshake,” Andreatta said. “I want to be clear with the residents I serve: there was no inappropriate conduct on my part at any point during this interaction.”

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Police say investigation remains active

In a statement accompanying the release, the Lincoln Police Department said a local business owner had reported an incident involving a City Council member. The department said it was releasing surveillance footage from two camera angles because of significant public interest and its commitment to transparency.

“LPD will conduct this investigation thoroughly, objectively, and impartially,” Eaton wrote in the post. “A person’s title, position, or status — including elected office — does not affect how LPD investigates allegations of criminal conduct.”

Once the investigation is complete, the case will be submitted to the Placer County District Attorney’s Office for review and any charging decision.

“This ensures that an independent prosecutorial agency evaluates the completed investigation and determines whether the evidence supports the filing of criminal charges,” Eaton said.

Why the video was released now

Eaton explained the video was released because of the public interest in the topic.

“It is common for law-enforcement agencies to release video before an investigation is complete when doing so will not compromise the investigation,” he said.

Pagano posted on social media that he was surprised to see the footage released.

“Throughout this investigation, I have personally requested an opportunity to view that same footage and have been denied,” Pagano wrote. “So you can imagine my surprise when it suddenly appeared publicly.”

Eaton said investigators had been in contact with Pagano to obtain his statement through an interview when Pagano submitted a California Public Records Act request for the video. At that time, the footage was not released because of the active investigation.

“Mr. Pagano was interviewed at approximately 2:00 p.m. Following additional consultation with the City Attorney, and in light of requests from the media and community, LPD reevaluated that decision,” Eaton said. “The City Attorney emailed a copy of the video to the same email address Mr. Pagano used to submit his records request.”

Public discussion continues

The video’s release has added another dimension to an incident that has drawn competing accounts from local officials and community members.

In the earlier reporting, Andreatta disputed descriptions of the encounter as an altercation, saying the conversation took place in her capacity as an elected official and ended with a handshake. Brown and Councilmember Whitney Eklund have also said they did not observe conduct they considered aggressive or assaultive.

Woodman said in prior reporting that Tori Borst of the Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce intervened during the interaction, telling Andreatta to stop touching Pagano and step back.

The video did not include the alleged interaction involving Borst. Woodman did not respond to comment to The Sacramento Bee following the video’s release to clarify the details.

Eaton said that the surveillance system is motion-activated, meaning the footage may briefly pause or skip forward when no movement is detected.

“The video is presented in the sequence recorded by the surveillance system and has not been selectively edited to alter the depiction of the incident,” Eaton said.

Meanwhile, Placer County Supervisor Shanti Landon, who previously criticized Andreatta’s reported conduct in an opinion column, addressed the broader discussion in a comment on the Event Center’s social media page.

Landon argued that the debate should focus on whether the behavior was appropriate rather than solely on whether it constituted an assault.

“The point is that the behavior was inappropriate, crossed a line, and should not be excused or minimized,” Landon wrote on her personal account. “And unfortunately, this wasn’t an isolated incident. It’s part of a longstanding pattern of aggressive and confrontational behavior that dozens of people throughout this county have experienced personally over the past few years.”

Andreatta shared the Lincoln Police Department’s post with the video, saying she is encouraging everyone to watch the video to draw their own conclusion rather than relying on “rumors and secondhand accounts.”

“Making false accusations days before an election for blatant political purposes is inexcusable,” Andreatta wrote. “Accuracy, fairness, and the facts should guide our public discourse.”

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This story was originally published October 28, 2026 at 3:20 PM.