Raw footage recently uploaded to YouTube shows what may be one of the fastest arrests on record for a citizen literally doing nothing.
The man filming observes a cop driving nearby. The cop then gets out of his patrol rig and asks, “How are you doing sir?” After asking for a second time ‘how he is doing,’ officer Hughson inquires: “What [you] got in your pocket?” The cameraman remains silent throughout, prompting officer Hughson to continue:
“Sir? Sir, what are you doing? Can I get your ID from you please? Are you unable to talk?”
A breath later and the next words are, “Sir, I need your ID; if you do not provide me with your ID you’re going to be placed under arrest.”
The time elapsed from officer Hughson stepping from his car and greeting the filmmaker, to informing the same that he will be put under arrest, is only between thirty-five and forty seconds.
To add to our disbelief, officer Hughson requests backup, and surely enough, another officer is soon on the scene. The man taking the film continues to remain silent, then turns away and attempts to extricate from the surreal situation by calmly walking down the street. Officer Hughson can be heard in the background telling the second officer: “He’s not talking.”
After walking only a short distance, officer Hughson comes running up to the man, saying, “Sir, you need to stop; you need to stop and provide your ID.” At the same time, he can clearly be seen from the available footage to place his hands on the filmmaker.
It is at this point that the man chooses to speak to the officers, informing them that he is invoking his right to not speak as espoused by the 5th Amendment. He also declares that he has rights against unreasonable search and seizure, and that he wants his lawyer.
Officer Hughson responds by throwing the camera to the ground, then saying, “you’re under arrest.”
Eventually, the cameraman is told he has been arrested for “obstruction of justice” by refusing to answer the officer’s questions or provide some form of identity documents.
The arrested man declared online that he feels he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent, and has a court date set for August 27th.
