Arrested For Reading a Book During a Thunderstorm

John Choe was driving through Athens, Georgia. When it began to storm, he pulled into a gas station to wait out the thunderstorm. Somebody called the cops.

#lawenforcement #bodycam #lawyer #police #law #legaleducation

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[MisoSilly]

No cop has ever read a book. That's why it seems so unusual to them.

[heatherfredenburg]

Cop says to the clerk, "Its a crazy world we live in." Sure is when youre criminalizing a man reading a book while he waits out a storm.

[davidfields]

"Refusing to show ID is a red flag for us"

My constitutional rights are a red flag?

[eligrobin]

This cop seems to believe that it is illegal to have "not normal" behavior. If being "not normal" is illegal, we don't live in a free society.

[boldfacedtruth]

I'm so tired of these cops making a crime of things they consider not normal behavior.

[ChristineLove-wvhb]

As a former truck driver, I have seen plenty of people in cars, who were travelling, parked at the gas station. Its well lit, access to food, gas and a bathroom. The police are ridiculous.

[EODOperator]

You can’t be trespassing until you are told to leave and refuse. These cops are harassing this man.

[lyledeyounges]

How disgusting is this. That cop escalated like crazy because he felt intimidated and not respected by a citizen who respectfully insisted on his rights. For reading a book in his car and being from New York. Shameful cop.

[EnigmaHood]

I saw this video a few days ago. I heard the victim is actually a lawyer, and he's suing this cop.

[JesterAzazel]

Over half the crimes reported in this country go unsolved, and yet my tax dollars are paying for someone to harass a guy reading a book in a car.

[circuskills]

"He's not even from here."

This cop is actively trying to get that lady to hate that man for no reason. It's absolutely insane.

[suzannek]

If a cop tells me I’m required to ID as part of his investigation, I’m replying that I am under no legal authority to assist him with his investigation. This is what cops fail to understand when on the hunt for an ID fix.

[triviszla]

You know what isn't normal behavior? Criminalizing the mere action of sitting in your car in a parking lot.

[adamsmith]

Nothing pisses off a cop more than people that know their rights.

[jimsty]

To all the people who say he was “trespassing “ - he wasn’t asked to leave until the cops showed up and so no, he wasn’t trespassing lol. Also he was willing to leave at that point, but the cops ironically kept him there longer…

[WENK]

"I'm going to arrest you if you don't provide me with your ID."

That right there, that's the money shot! That alone is grounds for a massive civil rights lawsuit.

[happyinparis]

That cop is a disgusting liar! He said the man is being difficult and he doesn't know what he's up to.

[thesuperdingos]

I’ve never seen a cop SO desperate for ID. Ran his car, his plates, everything. In this cops mind, he just couldn’t believe that a free citizen wouldn’t just gleefully give his ID.

[Haze]

Cops: Don't drive whilst tired or if it's dangerous
Cops: Don't pull over if you're tired or there's dangerous weather, that's 'loitering'

[nickclarkuk]

I admire this man for standing up for his rights. The stupidity of the officers and attendant beggars belief.