Do you have any questions regarding our vehicles? Maybe I can help you out. How about an ID? I I They run my name across the state of Florida. Obviously, I'm the guy that goes around the state of Florida doing this. I'm not breaking the law and under the law, 901151. An ID request that seemed routine, but it ignited a tense confrontation over civil rights and police authority. Do you have any questions about our vehicles? >> I was underneath the bumper of the detective car. See you later. See See how See how I'm not trying to break any laws? You're good, dude. One small act of overstepping authority can be enough to turn a law enforcement officer into a defendant in a multi-million dollar lawsuit. Just one seemingly ordinary action, but it sent an entire police department into turmoil. In Sausalito, a man was singled out simply for standing and observing. And the frightening part is the officer confronting him appeared to have an extremely inflated ego. All right. Sergeant Rogers, is there anything I can help you with regarding our vehicles? Hello. Do you have any questions regarding our vehicles? Maybe I can help you out. How about an ID? Can I see your ID? How about a name? Detective Yeah, I'm not the same as you getting after all the shady around the police cars. It wasn't just police cars. You were getting private cars too. So, why would you do that? Why was I around private cars? So, you got around and you got to You guys leave me alone. What? Leave me alone. So, what? You're acting suspicious, so we're asking. That's our job. Excuse me. Excuse me. What is it about your car that's acting suspicious? No, a normal person would take a picture of the car. You're crouched down underneath kind of almost underneath the back end of one of the cars. You're just getting out between them. You're acting really shady. You're not taking pictures like a normal person would take pictures of the car. You saw me And then, you walked around by some private cars as well. Now, I'm recording. And you were going between and in and looking in private cars, too. So, we're just curious what you're doing. You know what? You're recording on the phone. That's America. That's great. You never saw me looking in any private cars. You never saw me We did. even looking at private cars. We did. All the photos on mine are of your cars. So, go ahead. The encounter started as what seemed like a routine conversation, but within seconds, it turned into a confusing and aggressive pursuit. No crime, no evidence, yet there was one thing they were determined to obtain at all costs. Okay. What's your name and badge number? Right here, Smigelski, badge number T36. How you doing? Sausalito Police Department. What about you two? Right here, Rogers, Sergeant 5227. What about you? Mitchell, 5278. Okay. Do you have any questions about our vehicles? I was underneath the bumper of the detective car. >> See you later. Is there a reason for that? See you later. Is there a reason for that? See you later. So, there's no legal reason for that. See you later. Okay. You're not going to provide ID? See you later. Go ahead. Go ahead. I'm standing here in the open. And so am I. Okay. You can stand here as long as you want. That's fine. Fine with me as well. Do you have any questions about our cars? We can help you answer. Nope. You're a law enforcement aficionado? Do you know what that means? Do you like police cars? You like police cars? Is it your thing? Is it your jam? I know a lot of little kids do. Little kids run around and look at police cars. It's kind of weird when adults do it. Mhm. Especially for for a long period of time like you were. You're looking in each one. How long is okay to look in a police car? I'm not interested. Uh how long is okay though? Quite a while. You're being watched, of course. Okay, it's quite a while. You guys weren't Why I didn't see you guys. I know. We have cameras around our police department. That's how we That's how we Well, I don't know cameras around our police department. That's how we first observed you, sir. Okay. Good luck, guys. Have >> no other questions. Have a good day. Think I said it about four times, maybe. I don't know. Yeah. You walked back two or three times. You took multiple pictures of the same vehicle, sir. The officers began using a very familiar tactic, speaking politely while slipping in subtle condescension. It sounded calm on the surface, but it was a way of pushing someone into looking guilty. Then the game shifted into action, following, watching, and slowly applying pressure step by step. You said we're walking back. I'm cool with that. I'm going to walk this way if you don't You don't want to walk that way now? You said you did. Given the contentious nature of today's society, someone lurking around our vehicles, not taking normal pictures, not doing normal things, that's going to make us a little uncomfortable, right? Can you define what's normal? I'm sure you know there's been lots of cases where police cars have been sabotaged. Define what's normal. Just about that. Huh? Define what's normal. Sure. You got video going, right? I'm a tourist. I'm someone who likes police cars. Hey, check this out. Look at this idiot. >> and then I'm gone. Maybe I even come over and go, "Wow, look at that. Look at the radio. Look at the gun. Look at the computer." Huh? I don't hang out for an extended period of time and go back to the same cars and keep going around. I don't come over here like you did and get down underneath the back of the detective's car. You saw You saw me get down underneath the back of the detective's car? >> there when we tried to contact you. You saw me get down underneath the car? >> there. You're crouched down kind of looking underneath How How far away How far away from the car was I? >> In the street. And was I Was I taking pictures? That's suspicious behavior. If you don't understand that, then you're either a liar or there's other issues going on. Well, uh I can call you names, too. So, go back to work. If you Yeah, you did. You said I'm a liar. >> See? So, you just said right there that there's other issues going on. That's the angle you're taking. Dishonesty. Look at this idiot. It's a shame you're being dishonest. Give me your It's It's a shame you guys are acting like this. >> pictures of our cars. You can do that. >> Nope. Please stay on the sidewalk. Don't go on the street. Nope. Nope. I'll do it I'll do all that. I'll go in the street. I'll be off the sidewalk. I'll do all that. I'm going to take a picture right in front of your window, all that stuff. Yep. >> to try to [clears throat] antagonize, but it doesn't work. I'm not antagonizing you. I'm letting you know I'm not going to do you You don't give me directives. Okay? I don't have to listen to your I don't have to listen to your directives. What's illegal about me What's illegal about me taking pictures of the car? Nothing. Okay. Then then leave. Then leave. Then leave. What's What's illegal about me being off the sidewalk and taking pictures of your car? Walking in the street, I don't want to get hit by a car. You don't Your My safety isn't your concern, right? No, it's not. The Supreme Court's ruled on this, bozo. The Supreme Court has ruled on my safety's not your concern. You don't worry about me walking in the street taking pictures of your vehicle. You don't worry about me Speeding is me committing a crime. Me being in the street taking pictures of your car is not committing The officers kept trying to justify their surveillance while the man grew increasingly frustrated, believing they were turning something minor into a major issue. Every statement started to carry a sharper edge. Every move felt like a test of boundaries. And when the man finally pressed them to answer directly, "What exactly are you suspecting me of?" That's when everything began to explode. You can't tell me I can't walk around the back of that car. You can't tell me I can't stand behind that car. There's nothing you can do. >> Please don't do that, sir. Nothing you can do. Right? Did you hear me give you a directive? >> Yeah, you said, "Do me a favor. Do this. Do this. Do this. Don't do this." >> Yeah, I I Admit it. If I want to, there's nothing you can do. Is that correct? >> ask or did I tell? Is there anything you can do if I can't? Here, we can solve the argument. We can solve the argument. Is there anything you can do Look at being a little kid. Is there anything you can do if I can't? Is there anything you can do if I can't? Solve the argument. Did I ask or did I tell? De-escalate. Is there anything you can do if I can't if I don't listen to you? Is there anything you can do? Is there anything you can do? Answer the question. Yes, is there anything you can do if I don't listen to you and I get off the sidewalk and I go take pictures of your car. >> You can do that, but I can also follow and watch you and make sure you're not going to do anything illegal. Yeah, you can waste the public's money all you want. You can. Actually, based on your behavior, that's not a waste of money. It's not a waste of money taking pictures of a car? No, no, no. That's not what I said. You just twisted it. I didn't twist it. You guys locked up on me and said you're taking pictures of vehicles is suspicious to us and now I'm going to And now you just said I can follow you around. Like I said, I already described for you taking Hey. You're You're illegal to You're outgunned, mentalize, bud. Go Go back to work. You're not going to win this. Get out of here. Tell me about What about it was not Where's your daddy, Sergeant? Tell him to get out of here. Go ahead. No, you have to We're still talking. You're free to I'm having a civil conversation. >> I'm free to leave. So are you guys. So, this is Sergeant Rogers and he This is the other officer's daddy and he won't tell him to get back to work. Why don't you calm down, bud? I can get as close to you as I want. No, you can't. I can't? You cannot get as close to me as you want. You cannot touch me. Do you want to bet? I'll get very close to you. I'll get I'll get this close to you. 6 feet away. >> is that a law? Is that a law? It's a mandate right now. It's a mandate? Don't provoke me. Is that a law? Cuz I'll get very close to you. Don't provoke me. I'll get as close to you as I want. What are you going to do? >> What are you trying to get out of this? Nothing. I have told you guys a million times, go back to work. We have reasonable suspicion Reasonable suspicion of what crime, babe? Of what crime? Suspicious behavior, is that a felony or a misdemeanor? Which one is it? I'll tell you what, you can look up the court Is suspicious behavior a felony or misdemeanor? I can tell you the court history. I can tell you the Supreme Court rulings. You need reasonable suspicion of a crime. What penal code do you have suspicion of right now? What vehicle code? Tell me. Which one? The confrontation entered its most dangerous phase when the man repeatedly asked a question officer struggled to answer. What crime have I committed? And in that moment, frustration boiled over for viewers. When the legal footing starts to slip, ego and power struggles begin to surface. That's when the situation moves beyond a normal argument. I'm not going to keep talking to you. Yeah. You said it's reasonable suspicion, and I said, "Yeah, of a crime." You need of a crime. You can't follow me around cuz somebody's suspicious. Oh, and waste money. Waste of our You're already a waste of our money. You're already a waste of our money as is. You're a waste of our tax dollars. >> feel better right now? Do you feel safer right now while we're talking? You're not wasting our >> I'm just going to sit here and Well, it's it's it's fine. I'll I'll go ahead and go back to your car. Eventually, you guys will leave and I'll hang out. So. Fun? Well, it's fun to me. It's fine to me. I'll chill. You know what you could do instead? You know what you could do instead of being here right now? You can go back to work. Stop making your department look bad and making yourself look dumb. Go get a job and work. That's real professional. Good. That would be more productive than this. There you go. I feel like I'm being very productive. I was taking pictures I wanted and it's none of your business why I'm doing it. And that's it. So, you guys should just go back to work. Nope. All right. Yep, you're dismissed. See you later. Yeah, I just did. I dismissed you. And I'm I'm going to walk with you to make sure nothing happens to you on the way back to the police department. I'm worried about your guys' safety. Yeah, no problem. You can ask. Cuz I don't have to. The bottom line is I'm your boss. You're not my boss. Right? You work for the public, correct? Well. Okay. So, I don't have to answer you. That's the bottom line. In most situations, you have to answer me. It's because I couldn't answer you? Yeah. Yep. No specific crime, no clear justification, yet the atmosphere grew heavy as if someone was trying to prove that authority mattered more than the truth. The biggest question is, if something small can be escalated this far, how far could something bigger go? Up next, what seemed like a normal fishing trip turned into a tense confrontation with police within minutes. And what shocked everyone even more was this, they didn't show up alone. There were allies recording the situation from multiple angles. What up, dude? Ah, man, I get it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I got all that stuff. Yeah, no. Uh under If you look at the 379 No. Hear me out. Under the 379 statutes, if you actually leave 379, it pertains to fish and wildlife commission officers. I do have a valid fishing license and I'm clearly going fishing. Under 901.151, unless you suspect me of a crime, have committed a crime, or about to commit a crime. Okay. So, I have had numerous calls >> That's fine. So, at this point right now, all I'm trying to do is just identify you. Listen. And then after that, you're on your way. I understand, you know. I But I have to be I have There has to be a crime, man. I'm not trying to be a hard about this. I I They run my name across the state of Florida. Obviously, I'm the guy that goes around the state of Florida doing this. You know what I mean? Like I do this. Like this is what I do. I'm not breaking the law. And under the law, 901.151, I'm not reaching for anything, but I'm going to gladly show you this is a cigarette. I did I I don't litter. See it See how good I am? See See how See how I'm not trying to break any laws? You're good, dude. I get it, dude. I I'm not out here saying that, you know, you are Fishing. Fishing. Those are all the dates. It It's Under under Florida law, I I've just done you a solid by saying, "Here's my fishing license." I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to run my name through David, NCIC, FCIC, all those other databases that pertain nothing to do with my fishing license. Nothing. Right now, if we're questioning my fishing license, which I clearly have, you can call FWC and they can come out and check it. Cuz right now, all I'm doing is trying to go fishing to that park right down the road here. Like right at the end of this block. And that's all I'm doing. It's just going fishing, man. Okay. All right. I'm not What's your name? My name is Mike. Mike what? What seemed like a simple check quickly turned into a tense legal debate when the man firmly refused to provide identification and repeatedly cited the law. And when officers began pressing their authority to investigate, the situation immediately escalated. >> a crime about it. If I'm If you suspect it, then I'll gladly give you everything you you you're entitled to. Unless you suspect me of If you don't suspect me of it, I would just like to kind of go on my day and just move about. And like I said, I've no ill will towards anybody. Obviously, they don't understand the law, and you understand the law better than they do. But right now, I'm just saying, "Hey, I'm just going fishing. I've got a valid fishing license. I've no qualms about giving my fishing license to the right authority, which once again, under the 379.354, which is the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. It's their statute, basically. And I'm not I'm not playing I'm not reaching for nothing. 379 statutes, Florida. Right here. I wasn't joking. It says 379 statutes, fish and wildlife conservation. And that's why I say And that's why I say the 379 statutes. >> But there's also a Florida statute, the 790, Right. which >> .053 790 I Yeah, I know the 790s. You know, it talks about the same thing. Okay? Right. So, What part of 790 does does fishing include at any point? I like it You tell me where the 790s and the 379 statutes with my fishing license. Cuz right now, I'm actually expressing 790.053, which actually would be illegal in the state of Florida unless I was following 790.25 section 3 subsection 8, which I am. With the fishing. Correct. Correct. Right now. >> So, which but Uh-huh. So, with with that part, the 790 that we just talked about, that's what gives us As the debate over firearm laws grew more intense, the man began citing case law to defend his position. But that move pushed the situation into an even more sensitive phase, forcing officers to decide whether they had enough legal grounds to continue the stop. I would have to break 790.25 or 790.053 or 790.06. Like I'd have to break one of those statutes. And under 901.151, what crime am I committing? So, and and it doesn't have to be a commission of a crime. It can be the investigation. >> You can investigate all you want. >> But Listen. But at this point for us, this is a suspicious person call. But so >> Suspicion isn't Until you came out here and I'm telling you I'm going fishing. So, we've just We've just dispelled the suspicion part now. We're past suspicion. I'm not suspicion because the person that called, suspicious person. You come out here, you meet me. I'm going fishing. The suspicion part is now over. Okay. But Right? Listen. What I'm saying is the suspicion part isn't over for me because How do I know that you're allowed to carry? How do I know that you're not a convicted felon that's supposed to be Florida With a firearm. I I can pull up a case law for you. It's called Florida versus JL. State versus JL. The guy was a convicted felon. He had a He had a firearm on him, left it in the back of an Uber. And um when they went through the whole court proceedings, they threw it out because there was no suspicion of a crime. They didn't have the right to identify him cuz they didn't know if he'd broken a law yet. That's the key thing about 901.151. S- State versus J {period} L. Look that up. Show that to him. I'll be right back. >> worries. I'm not going anywhere. Um Right there. It states that the police officer did not have the requisite reasonable suspicion to justify stop or frisk, that consequently, the seizure of the firearm was unconstitutional. See what I'm saying? Like you This is the federal case law. This came straight out of Florida. It actually came out where I live. I know about this case law. And the only reason I know about this case law is because these are very pertinent to my constitutional rights. Mhm. You know what I mean? And I'm not trying to be a hard butt about this. I'm not trying to give you a hard time. But what I am saying is that I am lawfully doing what by law. The man continued asserting his legal rights and dismissing every suspicion, and the confrontation seemed to reach a stalemate. But just as things appeared to calm down, the events that followed pushed the entire situation in an unpredictable direction. You know, waving to people. Like I'm I'm a friendly guy, dude. Like I >> People just don't see it very much around the town, so they're going to >> I know. And I get it. And I totally like for them to call, I get it. And then that's where I would say that's where I would say the education have for me. If I could talk to them and say, "Hey, what I'm doing is legal." You know, and and whenever I meet people, I'm like, "Hey, under this statute, you're allowed to do this." And that's the education that I do on my channel is to try to say, "Hey, not everybody has a concealed weapons permit." You know what I mean? And that would be that's why I started doing this. I was almost robbed while I was fishing. It was 2:00 3:00 in the morning. Two guys walked down on me screaming stuff at me saying they wanted my money. And all I could do was swing my fishing pole at them and run. That's how I got myself out of that situation. Now, if they would have had knives, guns, or whatever, and my gun was in the car when I was when I was fishing. And I was scared to openly carry. I was scared to do it. And ever since that day, I was like, "You know, guess what? If I'm scared to protect myself, I should stop caring about other people's feelings." I was more concerned about people's feelings at the beginning. Like I I I knew people would get scared by the sight of a gun. Yeah. So, I was like, "Hey, you know, I'm like I was if and and butt about it." And then I was like, "You know something? My life is worth more than people's feelings." You know, the same oath that you took to swear and uphold and defend my rights, you know, this is my right to do this. And you know, I'm not trying to give you guys a hard time about any of this. I know. I'm not sure what Yeah, I don't know either. I'm You're good. Like Yeah, if you want I'm like I'm literally going to be right up here at the end of the block, right at the thing. And I'm I I think there's fishing there. I don't know 100% yet until I usually get to where I'm going fishing. If there's a sign that says no fishing, I'll just be >> There used to be one. I'm not sure if it's If there is a sign there that says no fishing and I see it, I'm turning my butt around and I'll go right back to my car and I'll be done. But like I said, I think I'm pretty sure there's fishing. I they I people told me there's fishing over here, so Yeah, people are out here fishing too. Yeah, yeah. Yes, sir. Mm uh we're I think we're good. All right. I don't see him. As tensions eased and the parties went their separate ways, the encounter left behind ongoing debate about the line between civil rights and law enforcement authority. And it's clear the story won't end just because the camera stopped rolling. Citizens can sue police under Section 1983 when their rights are violated, and officers who break the law can end up paying damages and facing discipline or even termination. Society is truly safe only when both sides place respect, ethics, and responsibility above everything else. 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]