I work you, sir. I just don't work. You don't believe, dude. You're going to get tased. Okay. I work your turn around. I work. Stand up and turn around. Okay. I work you, sir. Put your hands behind your back. Don't move. On May 10th, 2025, Paul Wart, a 22-year-old CBS employee, was sitting on a bench outside his workplace in Edgewater, Florida, waiting for a lift ride after finishing his shift at 10 p.m. Under Florida Statute 901.151. An officer may detain a person to determine identity and circumstances of their presence if there is reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. Officer Daniel Ripian patrolling the area approached Wart alleging he had hidden behind a pillar as the officer pulled up. A claim contradicted by body camera footage showing Wart seated on the bench at the start of the interaction. When Wart attempted to explain that his ride had arrived and he intended to leave, Ripian immediately asserted his authority, declaring Wart was detained and could not go. Despite Wart's insistence that he was an employee and had just finished his shift, Ripen demanded identification, dismissing Wart's explanations and escalating the situation by drawing his taser and noting his K9 was ready in the vehicle. This aggressive response to a non-threatening situation based on a questionable perception of suspicious behavior set a confrontational tone. What's going on with you? ID card. Something with your name on it. 6K93 central. That's my go. No, you're not. Can you show me now? Are you in, please? I didn't break any laws. I didn't break any laws. Stop, dude. You can make an emergency, please. I got one resistance. I I worked you, sir. I just thought I worked, dude. You're going to get tased. Okay, I worked. Turn around. I work. Stand up and turn around. Okay, I work you. Put your hands behind your back. Don't move. Don't move. If you move, there's a canine in my car. You're going to get dog bit. I was Stop moving your hands. 693 simple. I got one to change. If I have a channel, you can clear it. Who is that? Is that person related to you? No, that's my just let them know that it's I asked. Okay. I pull up. Let's recap everything. All right. So, I pull up. I see you sitting there and then all of a sudden I'm pulling up and you're hiding behind the pillars of a closed business. How's that look, dude? You say hi to I just got off. But just look from my It's a closed business, right? I pull up, you're hiding behind the pillars. It looks strange. Does that look weird? Does that sound weird to you? And then listen. And then I tell you you're detained. Yeah. And you're telling me you're going to leave. Okay. Okay. I see what I'm saying. And you were resisting. Okay. Okay. I I apologize. You say hi. I just got up just put my hoodie on. That's all I did. Do you really work here? I swear to God I work here. But what's what time is it? Can you tell me what time it is? Just tell me what time it is. I get the clue. Look what's your name. Look up what time CVS closes. Look up what time CVS closes. It's 10:00. You got your ID card on you? I didn't do anything wrong, sir. I got off work. My manager just left. His name is Mike. Um, I'm your This is my ride. Just one second. I'll talk to him for a second. Hey, you're you're good to go. He doesn't need a ride anymore. I'm going to get him one. I said he's he called a lift or something, I think. Yeah. Yeah. On the lift, I s Yeah, I got I got one for him, so you're free to go. Yeah, you can cancel it or something. He's get he might get arrested. So, yeah, I hear you. I just I'm trying to figure out whether to cancel it. So, I Okay, I got you. You can hang out then. All right. I appreciate As the encounter unfolded, Officer Ripian's actions led to Paul Wart's arrest, marked by intimidation and a disregard for legal standards. According to the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution, no person shall be arrested without probable cause that they have committed a crime. Yet, Ripian charged Wart with obstructing an officer without violence. Despite body camera footage showing Wart complying by standing and turning as instructed while repeatedly affirming his employment at CVS, Ripian ignored Wart's attempts to clarify, refused to verify his work status, and instead handcuffed him, warning of a potential dog attack if he moved. When Wart's lift driver arrived, Ripian dismissed them, stating Wart might be arrested, further isolating him. The officer's reliance on threats and failure to deescalate transformed a lawful inquiry into an unlawful detention, resulting in Wart spending two and a half days in jail. Dude, I [ __ ] This one was kind of strange. So I I'm passing by. I see someone. So I was like, I'll dip in, check who it is. As I'm pulling in, he hides behind the pole. So I'm like, that's [ __ ] strange. So I was like, I need to talk to this guy. His business is closed. Yeah. I go talk to him like, "Hey, man." And he's like, "Am I being detained?" I said, "Yes, you are. You're being detained." Yeah. And I asked him for ID. He said, "He doesn't have it." He says, "My ride's here. I'm going to leave." I said, "No, you're not." Yeah. And then I said, and that's why I tell he's getting up to leave and I pulled my taser out and my driver started barking. I think he got a little worried. So, he [ __ ] started to comply then. But, so he's going to jail for resisting. Where the hell's his ride? That was his Uber right there. Apparently, he works here, but dude, he passed that point and he's trying to jump in that and leave. Yeah. Is that his [ __ ] that's on the bench up here, too? Uh-huh. Yeah, I do believe that he works here. I mean, he looks like he's in working his clothing, but I mean, he was going to try to dictate and tell me he was going to leave. So, I'm not I'm not playing that game. No, he's going to learn fortunately the hard way. So, it's pretty pretty clear and simple to begin with. He was hiding behind the [ __ ] pole, which I Dude, that was [ __ ] strange cuz I've never seen someone like get off the bench and hide. He left his [ __ ] there, too. That's weird. There was like a tablet and stuff on the bench. Yeah, he was hiding behind the pole when I was like when I saw him pull in. I don't know. And then I asked him, he was like, "My ride's here. I'm going to leave." I said, "No, you're not, dude." I was like, "You're containing." And then he went and [ __ ] himself. So, yeah, he's [ __ ] All right. Can I face the car for me? Don't lean against the car so far. I got to check your pockets. You got anything illegal on you that you shouldn't have. You are going to jail tonight. I was pretty clear with you and cool. You don't get to tell me that you're going to leave. Okay. I told you. You asked me if you were detained. I said yes, dude. And then you decide you just want to leave and do whatever the [ __ ] you want. Are you going to talk or No. Okay, that's fine. Is this a fake? Yeah. Yep. You want them both side you want them on. Take a seat. What's that? I was just asking about this right here. You don't want to ask. You don't have questions for me. I just You understand why you're getting arrested? I was just sitting there. I got Do you understand why you're getting arrested? My lift. My lift came. I'm pull this back. See you hot. Put my hoodie back on. Nope. All right. I don't want you to overheat back here, dude. So, you don't want me to explain to you? You're good. I want to explain to you. I I think I dictated a little bit what was going on. You You look It was very strange, dude. Close business. I pull up. You're hiding behind the pole. So, I get out with you. Okay. I ask you to identify yourself. Then you ask me to detain until you are detained. Okay? Cuz Lord, apparently I can investigate that. Although I'm not going to charge you with that, nor I'm going to go further in that. I'm ask you for to identify yourself. If you fail to do that, I'm going to charge you resisting. Okay. I did do my uh citations for that 12F yesterday. um secure upload, but I'll probably print him out for you, Guppy, if you don't mind. Yeah, I do believe him. Oh, okay. The aftermath of Paul Wart's arrest sparked significant community backlash and institutional scrutiny with Officer Ripian facing consequences for his misconduct. The state attorney's office later dropped Wart's charges, underscoring the absence of probable cause and exposing Ripian's actions as an overreach of authority that violated Wart's rights. The Edgewater Police Department placed Ripian on administrative leave pending a formal internal affairs investigation, prompted by body camera evidence shared by Wart's family. The footage, which contradicted Ripian's report of Wart hiding, fueled public outrage with Wart's grandparents addressing the city council to denounce the arrest as baseless and humiliating. The department had issued a statement on social media acknowledging the incident and the ongoing investigation, while the dropped charges validated claims of an illegal arrest. Ripian's potential termination, implied by his leave and the investigation, serves as a warning that officers who prioritize control over fairness risk their careers and erode public trust, pushing for systemic reforms to prevent such abuses of power. Like and subscribe for more police cam stories. Watch the next recommended video. Click to watch now.