ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER ROUTINE TRAFFIC STOP THAT VERY NEARLY
ENDED IN THE DEATH OF AN UNARMED CIVILIAN.
THIS TIME IT'S IN
WASHINGTON STATE WHERE WE HAVE MOTORCYCLISTS WHO THANKFULLY HAD
A HELMET CAM ON DURING THE ALTERCATION YOU ARE ABOUT TO
SEE, AND WITH IT HE CATCHES THE INSANE BEHAVIOR OF AN UNNAMED
DETECTIVE.
YOU WILL SEE HE COMES TO A STOP, AND THEN THERE IS AN
ALTERCATION.
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
OH, SHIT.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT AM I DOING?
YOU HAVE A GUN ON ME.
I'M UNARMED.
TAKE YOUR ID OUT.
MOVE THIS BIKE I WILL DUMP YOU.
I
WILL PUT MY BIKE DOWN, I WILL TURN IT OFF AND GET OFF, OKAY?
CAN I TAKE MY HELMET OFF?
I CAN'T HEAR YOU VERY WELL.
GET YOUR ID OUT PLEASE.
CAN I TURN MY VEHICLE OFF?
THAT IS MY WALLET.
I'M SORRY, YOU HAVE A GUN DRAWN ON ME.
BECAUSE I'M POLICE.
THAT'S RIGHT.
YOU ARE DRIVING, YOU ARE GOING TO PLACE PEOPLE AT RISK AT
100 MILES AN HOUR PLUS?
MAY I PLEASE TAKE MY HELMET OFF AND TURN MY VEHICLE OFF.
I HAD YOUR ID, THAT'S WHAT I WANTED.
I'M WITH THE KING COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?
FORGIVE ME, I GET NERVOUS WHEN A GUN IS ON ME.
DON'T DRIVE LIKE THAT, AND YOU WON'T.
FIRST OF ALL, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT GUY IS A COP.
SOME GUY
WALKS UP TO YOU WITH A GUN --
AND REACHES IN AND TAKES HER WALLET.
IT LOOKS LIKE HE WAS
ROBBING SOMEONE.
LIKE HE'S JUST A ROBBER.
IF YOU ARE A COP, IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE ABOVE THE LAW, IT
MEANS YOU ENFORCE THE LAW.
IT'S NOT THAT COMPLICATED OF A
FORMULA.
YOU DON'T GET TO PULL YOUR GOING ON PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU
THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TOO FAST.
OTHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING HE
DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE NEAR 100 MILES AN HOUR, BUT IT DOESN'T
MATTER IF HE DID.
THAT'S NOT HOW YOU APPROACH SOMEONE, YOU DON'T
APPROACH WITH A WEAPON DRAWN.
BECAUSE ONCE YOU DRAW A WEAPON,
AS WE SAW IN THE PHILANDO CASTILE CASE, AND IN THE YOGA
INSTRUCTOR CASE ALSO IN MINNESOTA, ONCE YOU PULL OUT THE
WEAPON, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.
WITH PHILANDO CASTILE THE COP
TOLD HIM NOT TO REACH DOWN OR UP, EITHER WAY HE WAS GOING TO
GET SHOT.
AND HE TOLD HIM TO GET HIS ID.
HERE WE HAVE A SITUATION
WHERE A GUY SAYS GET YOUR ID, THE GUY SAYS CAN I TAKE MY
HELMET OFF?
I CAN'T HEAR YOU.
YOU HAVE CONFUSION WITH A GUN
DRAWN.
YOU REACH IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, HIGH OR LOW OR
THE WRONG WAY, YOU WILL DIE.
AND DID THAT GUY LOOK ARMED TO YOU?
IT'S NOT TO SAY THAT HE COULDN'T BE ARMS, IT'S THAT THERE IS NO
REASON TO SUSPECT THAT HE WAS ARMED, AND YOU DON'T PULL A
WEAPON ON EVERY SINGLE PERSON YOU PULL OVER, ESPECIALLY IF YOU
ARE PLAIN CLOTHES, EVEN IF YOU WEREN'T.
MOST PEOPLE WHO RIDE MOTORCYCLES DON'T HAVE GUNS ON
THEM, MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE IN CARS DON'T EITHER, BUT COPS WILL
SAY THEY CAN'T SEE INTO THE CAR, IT'S DARK -- A MOTORCYCLE,
EVERYTHING IS BARE, YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING.
HE WALKS UP WITH HIS
GUN, LIKE, HIDDEN BY HIS BODY, LIKE HE'S TRYING TO MURDER
SOMEONE AND NOT GET CAUGHT DOING IT.
PUT YOURSELF IN THE MINDSET,
THE FEELINGS, OF THAT GUY ON THE MOTORCYCLE.
INSTANTLY, HE DOES
EVERYTHING YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO.
HE SAYS I'M UNARMED, CAN I
-- HE ASKS CAN I TURN OFF THE BIKE, HE TELLS HIM I CAN'T HEAR
YOU, HE MAKES CLEAR THERE ARE COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS.
HE CAN'T
REACH INTO HIS POCKET BECAUSE HE'S WEARING FUCKING MOTORCYCLE
GLOVES.
YOU KNOW HE CAN'T REACH INTO HIS POCKET.
HE CAN'T HEAR
YOU OVER THE ENGINE AND THE CARS NEXT TO HIM, HE HAS A HELMET ON,
LET HIM TAKE IT OFF, YOU CAN WATCH HIM WITH YOUR GUN DRAWN
DURING THAT.
HE WALKS OFF NO PROVOCATION, INSTANTLY, ONE OF
THE FIRST THINGS HE SAID IS GIVE ME YOUR ID OR I'M KNOCKING YOU
OFF THE BIKE -- HE LATER SAYS I WILL DUMP YOU.
INSTANTLY THERE IS NOT JUST A THREAT TO HIS LIFE, BUT I
WILL DESTROY YOUR PROPERTY, I WILL DO THOUSANDS OF
DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE TO YOUR VEHICLE IF YOU DON'T DO THE
IMPOSSIBLE THING I'M ASKING YOU TO DO INSTANTANEOUSLY.
I THOUGHT I'M GOING TO DUMP YOU WAS FAR MORE THREATENING.
IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING, WE WILL SEE HOW THE OFFICE REACTS
OVERALL, BUT --
LET'S LET THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT HERE HANDLE IT FIRST,
WE WILL SEE HOW IT GOES.
LOOK, BAD BEHAVIOR IS ONE THING --
COVERUPS FOR BAD BEHAVIOR BY THE OVERALL ORGANIZATION IS MUCH
WORSE, AND THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED HERE YET.
SO WE'LL BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR IT, WE WILL FOLLOW THE CASE, BUT THIS IS
PARTLY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TELL COPS YOU CAN DO
ANYTHING AND THERE WILL NEVER BE ANY CONSEQUENCES.
AND EVERY PERSON YOU COME ACROSS MIGHT SHOOT YOU AT
ANY SECOND, YOU BETTER HAVE YOUR GUN OUT.
HOPEFULLY THERE ARE SOME CONSEQUENCES HERE, SO IT
SENDS THE OPPOSITE MESSAGE, REMEMBER, YOU ARE SUPPOSED
TO PROTECT THE COMMUNITY, NOT DRAW YOUR WEAPONS ON THEM.