What law is it? Videotaping the government building, so It's not normal. It's not normal? I'm on the sidewalk, sir. Okay, step back. >> obviously going around. Do you want me to walk through them or would you rather me walk this way? A single question about the law made the officer lose composure. When citizens understand their rights, the truth begins to reveal itself little by little. I don't need a permit. I'm out in public. I have a legal right to film. I'm not going in the building. Anything I can see from public and this is public accessible. We're literally in the middle of an investigation. I do not want to detain you, sir. I do not want to detain you. You think this is just an argument? Wait and see what happens when this video becomes part of a legal case. A situation that seemed ordinary outside the courthouse quickly turned tense when a demand for a filming permit was made. But when asked about the law, the response was vague. And that's when everything started to spiral out of control. So this building we're coming up to is the Superior Court of California, the juvenile courthouse, probate court. So this is the uh probation agency for the juvenile facilities. It's a separate building. What seemed like a minor dispute over filming quickly escalated due to vague and unclear answers. With no clear legal basis provided, the situation began to shift and within minutes, the arrival of law enforcement pushed it into a much more intense confrontation. >> [music] >> Hey, sir, you can't be videoing here. What's that? >> to have a permit to video here. Permit? Is this open to the public right here? Yeah, but you're under uh under a government facility, you got to have a permit to be filming out here. >> What law is that? What law is it? It's part of the It's county law that you got to be on a government facility, you have to be You cannot film on government on government property. You got to have a permit. Everybody that comes out from the TV stations, they have to go to the office and get a permit to video out here. Well, I guess I'm going to challenge you on that because that may be your policy, it's not law. I have a legal right to film in public and they want you to enforce the policy and policy doesn't trump my right to film in public. I'm not going into the building. I'm out here in public. It's publicly accessible. So when you tell me what you told me, you can't state a law and I understand that because there is no law. It's a First Amendment protected activity and that's why I'm out here out here to educate you and others that we have a right to film in public. Excuse me, sir. Sir. Excuse me, sir. You have the paper for that? I'm going to go get that right now. Um how long has the law been How long has it been in play? There is no law. At this point, [music] the exchange was no longer about clarification. It had turned into a confrontation as arguments were no longer being heard and attitudes began to shift. Tensions escalated even further and within moments, a single unexpected remark caused the situation to explode in a way no one saw coming. How you guys doing today? Doing good. What was uh What's your purpose out here? Oh, man, just filming. What are you filming for? Uh Just just to keep it for myself. I like to film but beautiful uh government buildings. What is going on? Huh? You all right? >> suspicious when people start videotaping the government building, so Suspicious? What about it is suspicious? It's not normal. It's not normal? According to who? I mean, you can't deem holding a video camera suspicious behavior. You know that, officer. And as I explained to this individual that he says we need a permit to film here, uh I don't need a permit. I'm out in public. I have a legal right to film. I'm not going in the building. Anything I can see from public and this is public accessible, I can film. So uh he's enforcing policy. The policy is you guys don't like filming but the filming doesn't uh the policy doesn't trump our right to uh film in public. It's a First Amendment protected activity and that's why I'm out here. That's exactly our purpose of being out here is to educate you that we have a legal right to film in public. Who are you to educate me? Huh? Who are you to educate me? Well, you're giving me an order. >> give you any orders, first of all. >> Okay, so I have a legal right to do it. Is that what you're saying? Is that what you're saying? Why don't you kick rocks, man? >> I'll stand right here just like you are, right? Public property? Yeah, yeah. I'll stand here, too. >> Yeah, you're a tough guy, aren't you? No. Yeah, you're a tough guy. Who am I to educate you? Who are you? Yeah, I Who are you? You're a guy in a costume. >> You said you wanted to educate >> in a costume. I'm asking you to educate me. Who you are to educate me? >> me who am I to educate you. You come off all aggressive. I didn't come off aggressive in any way. >> You can call me >> my hands in my pockets. I'm aggressive? >> Yeah, in your tone of voice, fool. >> Okay. Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. Good name-calling. Yeah. What you going to do? Going to beat me? You going to taze me? Go kick rocks. Go back inside, man. You come out all Who are you to educate? I was very cordial explaining the purpose of coming out. >> Tensions had reached their peak as the exchange turned increasingly confrontational, pushing the situation far beyond where it started. But what's striking is that despite no force being used, everything suddenly began to cool down and what happens next will make you question who is really in control of the situation. Whatever you got to say, buddy. I just said it. You got What's the law What's your name, sir? Sheriff. What's your name? Deputy Polito. Deputy who? Polito. >> Polito? What's your name, sir? >> What's your What's your name, officer? I got I got a vision impairment. Say it. Focus on the camera. No, say it. Say it. You're not going to say it? What's your badge number? >> right there. What's your badge number? My ID number is 4141. Thank you, Officer Hardy. >> problem. Have a good day, guys. Yeah, you, too. >> Have a great day. What made us look suspicious? It was tall black guy, short white guy. That's suspicious or what? We'll be out here filming. Nice try. It didn't go the way you thought, did it? So that's what goes down. They try to ramp it up, try to intimidate you. Who are you to educate me? No, it's highway patrol. He's sitting in there, though. Yeah, he pulled in and just backed in. Have a good day. Keep your car clean, huh? I try but it rained on me yesterday. All right, man. Hopefully everything pans out good in court, man. All right. Hope you aren't facing any time, are you? Okay. All right. We'll wait and see. All right. If you need anything >> Yeah, you're you're you're coming to court juvenile court. You're not the defendant, are you? No. Okay. >> It's actually traffic court. They do traffic. Oh, they do traffic and they do probate? Uh probate I don't think probate's here. It's just traffic. >> Well, it said probate court. That's kind of what threw me. You know, it's I believe it's I'm not sure, actually. It's probate. After all the tension, no arrest was made, but what just happened leaves many unanswered questions. When rights are mentioned but not clearly acknowledged and attitudes shift from moment to moment, the story ends in silence. Citizens may file a lawsuit against police under Section 1983 if their rights are violated. Officers who violate those rights could face financial liability and may also be subject to discipline or termination. Up next, what was believed to be a robbery quickly drew attention not because of the suspect but because of how everything was handled from the very beginning. What's really going on behind the officers' smiles? They're laughing and giggling. They're just hanging on out. What's going on, sir? And what's going on over here? Why? We have some people in here I want you to open the door. Nobody can open the door from the inside. They can't open the door from the inside. What's your name and badge number? I wouldn't do that. I'm a law-abiding citizen. What's your name and badge number? >> is Estrada. Badge number is 6636. Okay. What's going on over here? What happened? Suspicious activity. What kind? Kind of the kind that requests for our presence to be out here. Uh somewhat of a good answer. >> [laughter] >> I don't want to talk about it right here. It's private business like that. Uh I mean it's public business. Right? >> Yeah. I mean all the time, right? >> Not yet. The moment you show up is public business, right? It's private business between us and the people involved here. No, when you show up it become public. Who becomes public? You, the information. >> Everyone here is public. Everyone Right. So why you say not yet? Cuz right now we're investigating the nature >> [laughter] >> What's the crime, man? What happened? What's the cause? >> people involved. I can't get the CAD number? No. Uh why not? Not yet. I got to wait till it's over? Yeah. Okay. I can wait. I can wait. What's your name and badge number, sir? 666 Name? Rodriguez. All right. And you, ma'am? Excuse me, ma'am. Okay, she not going to she don't hear me. What's your name and badge number, sir? It's Bunch. 633 633? What's your name and badge number, ma'am? Gonzalez. 6250 What seemed like a simple exchange of questions was expected to end quickly, but the evasive and unclear responses only made the situation more tense. And just seconds later, a seemingly small action suddenly escalated everything, pushing the confrontation in a completely different direction. I'm on the sidewalk, sir. >> Okay, step back. I'm I'm obviously going around. Do you want me to walk through them? Or would you rather me walk this way? Sir, we're dealing with a robbery in progress. >> I am going around you guys. >> Don't give us a hard time, all right? I'm not giving you a hard time. Y'all giving me a hard time. Walking around make sure not to walk through your people. I came around Listen, sir. to go around you guys. You detaining me for what? There's no Please let me detain me. This is not a crime scene. Y'all I'm walking through it. Y'all don't even have it taped off. Thank you. Let me walk through it. Thank you. Thank you. That's all you had to do. We're literally in the middle of an investigation. We do not want to detain you, sir. I do not want to detain you, sir. There's no There's no tape up, sir. Until you put tape up it's not even a crime scene. Where? Where Where can I stand? Cuz y'all y'all kind of pressing me and I don't really like that. Cuz it's There is no tape up and it's not a crime scene until This is This is a public sidewalk. I'm not touching you. You walking up on me. What do you mean? I'm I'm literally taking steps back and you're walking forward. Okay, can I get a sergeant out here? Yes, sir. All right, yeah. I'm going to need I'm going to need a sergeant. I'm not delaying anything. You guys need to tape this off. This is a public sidewalk. We have free access. Yes, we have free access. You can't just pull up on the side. Look, now he's moving. So now what's the excuse? No, see y'all just making up stuff. Y'all just making up stuff. What's your name? Dominguez. What's your badge number? 656655 All right. And what's your name and badge number? >> I gave it to you already. >> All right, it's a couple of women out here so I can't be sure. What's your name and badge number? >> Vincent. 677 I don't want to assume that all of y'all are the same. What's your name and badge number? >> Alvarado. 649723 All right. Why Why are these people so hostile? You seem nicer. I might need to talk to you. Do Do you not know that it's not a crime scene until you guys tape it off? And until then we have public access to the sidewalk. We have an investigation >> I I understand that, but if it's a crime scene you guys need to tape it off if you don't want the publicly If you don't want the people in the public to be able to flow through it, you need to tape it off. And you know that, right? Or am I mistaken? Cuz No, no, no. Where Where am I mistaken at? Sir, we're allowing you to walk around. >> You're not allowing me. I'm free. I'm free. You're not At this point it was no longer a normal exchange. Control began to tighten and public space seemed to be restricted in a confusing way. Tensions continued to rise and within minutes the officer's response would push the situation into an entirely different level. want to try to hold down a particular area. Y'all know that already. Cuz What if somebody with a wheelchair came by here? Y'all wouldn't even let them through. They would have to Y'all would have to They would have to be going in the street. They would have to go in the street. But they would have to go in the street, right? But they would have to go in the street, right? Yeah, yeah. Look. Look. You can't get past the trees and you can't get through the office How am I speculating? It's visible that it's not a space for someone in a wheelchair. But they would have to go in the street, right? They would have to go in the No, it's visual. I can see it. Where can a Where Where can a wheelchair fit through it? Where can a wheelchair fit through it? You make no sense, ma'am. You make no sense, ma'am. Okay, I'm asking you how can a community get through here if someone was in a wheelchair? There's no space. There's no space. So you guys shouldn't even pulled up like that in the beginning of on the curve right here on the sidewalk. I don't either. I don't either. I'm just here observing it. And I'm watching how you guys are conducting yourself in the midst of it and that is not publicly accessible for the public. While it's open with no tape, it should be open for the public to flow through. If someone was in a wheelchair they couldn't get through there. I would hope so. Cuz y'all delaying the public right now. That's what that is. You're delaying the public. I haven't thanked you. Should I just walk up and say thank you right off the bat? So why are you saying except for me? I'm not causing a delay. How about me standing here recording? How? So how is that delaying it? So how is that delaying it? Exactly. You can't even verbalize it. You can't even verbalize it. Tell me how that's delaying you. Make it make sense to me then. Exactly. Just stop while you're ahead. Cuz you make no sense. And I also requested a sergeant. Can I get that sergeant? All right, I'm just making sure. That's That's fine. I'm just making sure. Tensions had reached a breaking point as the exchange grew more heated and the presence of multiple officers clearly intensified the pressure. But instead of de-escalating, the situation was pushed even further and the arrival of a supervisor would soon bring an unexpected turning point. Can I walk through and go to Jack in the Box? No, I need to go this way. I need to go this way. You see how you're hindering my flow of going this way? I need to go this way. Look at these officers blocking me I have one, two, three, four, five, six officers blocking me. What do that have to do with me walking? I said I'm going to get something to eat. Who said I wasn't waiting on him? I can wait right there. God damn. What's wrong with you? Why are you so irate? Damn, you're a trip. So now I can walk through, right? Cuz it's everything's done. I need to be able to walk flow Go Go ahead through here. Y'all tripping, man. No, y'all tripping. Why can people go this way but I can't come this way? That's weird. They just let them people go through. From where? From coming this way. I didn't see that. All right, good information cuz I was talking to y'all. But I need to not be blocked right here. Where am I blocked for? Whoever's in the car is secure. Why can't I walk through the sidewalk to go past the car? And the car is driving. And he's backing up this way. That That look a little unsafe. That's a little unsafe. So y'all was stopping me until he went off the curve? You didn't even know he was going to start pulling off yet. Exactly. So now you just making up [ __ ] Now I can walk through. Watch out. I'm not leaving. I'm just walking through. Damn, you You want me to leave? I'm waiting on the sergeant. I'm waiting on the sergeant. So now the sergeant is not coming? Okay, I don't believe y'all now. I don't believe y'all now. I got y'all names and [ __ ] though. It's all right. I know y'all lying. [ __ ] pieces of [ __ ] Ah, guess he did show up. Okay, uh your officers has treated me pretty bad out here. At least I like Just when the situation seemed to cool down, a new detail made everything more complicated. Unanswered questions began to surface and the conversation that followed would reveal arguments that might surprise viewers. order to tell me I can't go in certain areas? No, they don't need tape up. Why not? Well, when that's the law The law states that If it's a crime scene it off. If it's not then it's public access. It's the curve. I need to be able to walk through, right? >> code section is that? What penal code says it's not true? I just told you that if they have If it's a crime scene it needs to be taped off, right? >> No. Why not? No, because Well, until then people can stumble through there, right? >> to ask me a question, let me answer your >> Go ahead. Let me hear. Sometimes we don't have time to put up tape. Sometimes tape isn't necessary. Sometimes I just need my deputies there to get people back out of our crime scene. Sometimes that's all we need. So we don't have to put up tape. We're not legally obligated to put up tape. >> If I needed to go through? If we have a crime scene and they need that to contain that area But they was parked on the curve. That's fine. That's not fine. Yeah, it is. Says what? Says the vehicle code section. Where? In the vehicle code section. >> Where? You just asked me where it says now I'm asking you where it say that. >> What is it? It's uh What section is up top of my head? 220 I mean it's 20505 of the vehicle code section. I could be wrong. But it actually states that we don't have to abide by the law in the event of emergency situation. We don't have to abide by the vehicle code section of the law in the event of emergency situation. >> So you know that, but you don't know the law pertaining to putting up tape on the crime scene? There is no law. That's why I was asking you about it since you were so positive about it. There is no law. I'm positive about that. That there is no law when it comes to putting up crime scene tape. >> Right. And what it pertains to. Right. So y'all just put up tape freely then, right? If we >> If there's no law against it or for it, so y'all just decide that y'all made that up and spend city money on it and just buy tape to just put up. >> No, cuz we still have to put it up. Sometimes you got a big contained area. If, you know, for personnel short and we have to contain a big area, that's why we put up a lot of tape. Okay. It's still a crime scene. Whether tape up it tape is up or not, it's still a crime scene. And if the deputy say that you can't enter the crime scene The exchange ended without any use of force, but what was said left more questions than answers. With unclear procedures and a still controversial response, the story may have closed here, but it's far from over. A civilized society is not [music] one without conflict, but one where conflicts are resolved through law, respect, and dialogue. Hey everyone, what do you think about this situation? If you enjoyed the video, don't forget to like, subscribe, and support us with a donation. Thank you so much. >> [music]