for sitting in a public parking lot that is not marked. >> You really want to go to jail because you won't leave. >> Get out of the vehicle, sir. >> No, you get out of the vehicle. >> Okay, I'm getting out. >> No, you cannot remove my stuff from me. Uh, sir, >> John, an Army veteran and businessman, parked in a public lot at Johnson City Hall to take a business call, unaware that this simple act would spiral into a confrontation with police. Within minutes, a lieutenant approached, demanding to know why he was there. Despite no signs marking the lot as restricted, the Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. Yet, the officer insisted Jon's presence was suspicious activity, escalating the situation without evidence of a crime. Jon, aware of his rights, calmly questioned the officer's authority, asking, "What law is that?" The response was vague, citing no specific statute, only a claim of restricted property. As Jon held his ground, refusing to provide ID without cause, the officer's demeanor, shifted from inquiry to aggression, calling for backup. By the time four officers, including the police chief, surrounded him, Jon's attempt to assert his rights was met with intimidation, setting the stage for a gross overreach of power. >> Is it stop and ID state? >> We are stopping an ID. >> Are you Are we a stop and ID state? >> I can't hear you. >> Are we a stop and ID state? I can detain you for suspicious activity. >> Yes, >> you can detain me. >> Would you like to detain me? >> What are you? Why are you here? >> Do I have to have a reason to be here? >> Well, you have to have a reason to be in our parking lot and you have to have a reason for why you're driving behind uh uh up there next to our stuff. >> You mean when I circled around the parking lot? >> If you're in the police parking lot, we need to know why. >> Okay. What law is that? Huh? >> What law is that? It's suspicious activity. >> And suspicious is a misdemeanor or a felony. >> I'm not I'm not trying to confront you as far as a misdemeanor or a felony. That's not what I'm trying to do. >> It's suspicious activity. >> Sure. Suspicious. >> A misdemeanor or a felony? >> It's not a misdemeanor or a felony. >> Okay, then it's not a crime, is it? >> Suspicion is not a crime. >> You're in the PD parking lot. >> Are you a sergeant? >> I'm a lieutenant. >> You're a lieutenant? >> Yes, sir. So what? >> So you're you're here to confront police officers? >> I'm not here to confront. I was here talking on the phone. I was here talking on the phone. You came up to my car. You came up to my truck >> to do what? >> ID me. >> To ID me for what? >> To respond to suspicious activity in our parking lot. >> And what suspicious activity do you have me doing? >> You're in our parking lot. Which >> sitting here talking on a phone? >> Not supposed to be here. >> I'm not supposed to be in this parking lot. >> Drove up here. Not supposed to be in this parking lot. Who wrote Who did the complaint? >> One of our city workers. >> Okay. >> Is this a public parking lot? >> This is not a public parking lot. >> Where does it say private property? >> Right over here. >> Over here on this side. >> Drove through. >> No, it says it says do not enter police vehicles only. It does not say private property. >> Okay. I I'll agree with you there. >> It does not say it on that side where I came in. >> Okay, that's fine. >> So, I am not being suspicious. I'm having a phone conversation in a public parking lot where I'm allowed to have a conversation where I don't have to drive on the road and have a conversation. >> You do. >> And I do business in Johnson, >> just not here. >> I will be here as much as I want to be here. >> Uh, okay. >> What's your What's your badge number? >> My name is My name is Sterling Hatfield. I can give you one of my cards if you want. >> Please do. Okay. >> I'm done with your conversation. You have no right to run my tag if I'm not. >> I'm just curious why you would sit here and argue with us. >> Suspicious activity in our parking lot. You understand what's going on with the world today. You know, there's there's some activity that's happened. So, we if there's suspicious activity that we get a call right here, if anyone if if there's anything that uh that happens throughout our little area here, especially in the PD parking lot, if there's suspicious activity that we are aware of, we're going to identify the person that's on the parking lot. That's it. >> I kept saying, "Gold down your window. Roll down your window." >> I was talking I was doing business on a public parking lot. You stopped what I was doing. and tried to me for suspicious sitting in a parking lot talking on a phone on a public job. I'm not stopping you from doing your job. I'm not stopping you from doing your job. You don't have a right to ID me. >> I did. >> You do not. >> You can ask anyone in in law. I had a right to >> You do not have ID. You do not have the right to ID. I did not break the law. I did not break the law. Unless you are charging me with broke a or what's your RA? >> I didn't say >> what's your RA? >> I'm not answering any more questions because you don't want to because you know I am right. >> This is what's going to happen. You're either going to stop and leave or or you're going to get arrested. >> I'm not going to stop and leave. >> John, he would like to trespass me from this property. >> I'm asking him to leave. He's not. We're going to >> He'd like to trespass me from public parking. >> Are you a first amendment auditor? >> I am not a first amendment auditor. >> Then why are you pushing this issue? >> Because I know my rights and I do not have to ID for sitting in a public parking lot that is not marked. >> You really want to go to jail because you won't leave and just go to another parking lot. >> Would you like to arrest me, sir? Would you like to arrest me for sitting in a park? >> He doesn't want to listen. >> He's not obeying the law. >> You just try to open my door. So >> you can go ahead and write me a trespass. >> You are not obeying a lawful order. >> You can write me a trespass. You have to >> trespass. I'm telling you. >> So you're going to want to leave and not obey a lawful order. >> Get arrested. It's not a lawful order. Tell me what the law is. >> Tell me what the law is. You're listening to officer. It is. >> No, I'm not. I'm not doing anything illegal. >> You're getting You're getting yourself into a lot of trouble. No, you're getting yourself in a lot of trouble. You're under arrest, >> sir. You have to give me a written underrest. >> You have to give me a written trespassing. >> You're going to get a written trespassing. >> Get out of the vehicle. We're telling you now. >> Okay. >> Get out of the vehicle, sir. >> Nope. >> You get out of the vehicle. >> Okay. I'm getting out. No, you cannot remove my stuff from me. >> Uh, sir, step out of the truck, sir. >> Step out of the truck. >> Okay. He's holding my arm. Step out of the truck. Grab his arm in the opposite direction, guys. Grab his arm here. Come here with me. Hey, >> let it go. I got him. >> I'm not resisting. >> I'm not resisting. >> You see that? >> I'm not resisting. >> Do you have a weapon in the truck? >> Yes, I do. >> Okay. >> I have my carry permit. It's right here in this visor. Okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You can give me a written trespass and I will leave. >> You should have left when I told you to. It was a lawyer. >> No, sir. We're done talking, sir. >> We're done talking. You're going to jail. >> The situation deteriorated as officers ignored Jon's repeated assertions that he was in a public parking lot committing no crime. Terry versus Ohio, 1968, requires reasonable suspicion for detention. But the officers lacked any articulable reason to detain Jon, who was merely on a phone call. Despite this, they demanded he leave or face arrest with one officer attempting to open his truck door. Jon's refusal to comply with what he knew was an unlawful order prompted the sergeant to turn off his body camera, a chilling act that hid their actions from scrutiny. Moments later, Jon was forcibly removed from his vehicle, his legally owned firearm mishandled, and later found suspiciously placed under his seat. The officer searched his truck without a warrant, violating Arizona vers Gant 2009, which prohibits vehicle searches without probable cause. For 90 minutes, John sat in a police cruiser detained without charges. His freedom stripped away simply for questioning authority. >> Right there, Chief. Chief, can I have a word with you later? >> No, I I need a word with you. We're done talking. >> I just am sitting in a parking lot having a phone call. You need a >> Yes. I listen. Come here. Come here, chief. Please. Chief, please. Please have a word with me. >> Where was your weapon at? >> You should have listened to me. We gave you an opportunity. I gave you a long listen. I did not not listen. >> You're going to come over here. >> You just didn't like that. I said no. That I wasn't going to. No. Actually, I I didn't mind you saying that. >> I had a conversation with you for for a long period of time. I gave you irritating me that I cannot talk business today. >> Sure, take me to jail. But I'm going to tell you, my attorney is going to love that you're violating my my lawful order to leave. You have to leave. >> No, I don't. I did not do anything. >> I I'm telling you this is going to be a lawsuit and I don't want to do that to Johnson police. You guys have taken care of such good care of me at Johnson Switch. You're always there. If I call you, always take care of issues. I'm not trying to do anything bad. He demanded that I stopped my business conversation to have a conversation with him. He couldn't wait 5 seconds for me. He kept telling me to roll down my window and made me hang up my my phone call that I was doing business. I am not bothering any of the employees. I'm not even >> Benjamin Guy man. Hey, so I'm going to go talk to Lieutenant uh if you arrest me. At the end of the day though, >> everybody, I I handcuffed. Those two are my superiors. >> I'm telling you though, it's going to be a lawsuit against all you because I am going to call my attorney immediately. You're trespassing me. You detained me illegally for no reason at this point. No reason >> for right now. And if you would uh I will today if you are searching my truck right now. You're searching my truck. It's a search. >> Hold on a minute. Just relax. >> I'm telling you this is illegal. >> I know what you're saying. >> It's your lieutenant. >> He lost control. >> Again, they're my supervisor. >> I understand, sir. >> I know what you're saying. You're protecting blue right now instead of protecting the law. >> I know exactly. >> My constitutional rights are being violated. I know what your rights are. I I wasn't here before I got what was said before I got here. >> I'm telling you, if you put me in that police car right now, I will own this city. >> Well, I'm not doing it because you're threatening me. No, I'm not threatening you because you're making sense. >> I'm not threatening you. >> You hear me? I know you're making sense. I will my car right now. Already a violation. >> You know why I asked you if you're a first amendment auditor? Because I watch these films with people exactly doing what you're doing. >> I've seen them. I've never done it myself. And you you are fairly correct. >> I am very correct. I'm telling you, you are illegally searching my vehicle at this point. It's because he got mad that I didn't I didn't ID myself because I have no reason to. I did not break any laws. >> I know what the I know what you're saying. >> Well, say what? Put him in. All right. >> Are you really going to do this? All right. Lost your time, buddy. Just step in. After his release, John refused to let the violation of his rights go unanswered, filing a $ 1.5 million federal lawsuit against the Johnson Police Department for unlawful arrest, illegal search, and civil rights violations. Qualified immunity shields officers unless a prior case with identical circumstances exists. Yet, this legal loophole often protects misconduct as seen in cases like Jessup Vers city of Fresno 2019 where officers face no consequences for theft. John's lawsuit aimed to expose a corrupt system that shields officers while taxpayers foot the bill for settlements. The city settled quietly, but no officers face discipline, highlighting the systemic failure of accountability. J's case raises a critical question. If a veteran's rights can be so easily ignored, what hope do ordinary citizens have? His fight challenges us to demand reform, ensuring that no one else becomes a victim of unchecked power. Like and subscribe for more police cam stories. 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