OFF THE WIRE
Martin Hill
LA County Libertarian Examiner.
A scuffle outside a Lincoln, Nebraska mobile home turned into a demand to search inside the home after the homeowner was arrested for allegedly assaulting police. Gary Grana was initially accused of shooting a bow and arrow inside city limits after a neighbor called police. The police came to the home and demanded Grana's ID, and according to events featured in a youtube video, Grana believed police had no just cause to demand his ID. The video, posted by youtube user corneliuscomedy, currently has 304 views and is titled Police State. The compelling 20 minute video, recorded by Grana's wife, begins with footage of her front porch with officers piled on top of her husband. She repeatedly demands to know what they are doing and why they are hurting him, that he didn't do anything wrong.
UPDATE 12/26/10: Hours after going viral, 'Police State' crossbow video yanked from youtube....
The video description reads "This is a video that I took of my husband being wrongfully accused and detained. They originally came because someone wrongfully accused my husband of firing a crossbow in our yard (crossbows are legal in our state). He told them he was not firing a crossbow and there was not a crossbow outside or any evidence of one being outside. The police asked him for ID and he refused on grounds that he wasn't doing anything to facilitate them asking for ID. Next thing he knew the police jumped him, then the police tripped over our steps and crashed through a wooden fence which injured the officers hand. They slammed my husbands head against my front door, breaking my door (I can't even shut it properly now and have to replace it) and sprayed him with mace and started beating the crap out of him. All of a sudden my husband is being charged with assault on an officer?! SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE!!!!!"
Soon after the scuffle begins, at least 10 Lincoln Police squad cars and a dozen or more uniformed police show up at the home of a man who committed the alleged 'crime' of shooting a bow and arrow at a target in his yard.
At around minute four, a middle aged blonde haired officer comes to the door with what appears to be a cut under her left eye and a nose covered in blood. The woman, whose blue police uniform has blood spattered down the length of the right arm, tells Gary's wife that he refused to show ID and then ran from them. They demand the wife's last name and when she asks why they need it, the woman officer closes the front door of the house on the woman saying 'we're done". She is flanked by a taller dark haired female officer who sneers 'he's going to jail'. The wife responds "No. I need to know what's going on. You can't close me in my own house, for one thing."
At minute eight, a male officer wearing a black uniform, bulletproof vest and black ski cap comes and asks the woman to 'do him a favor', come outside to talk to someone. She says "No, I'm not gonna do that, my daughter's inside the house, I'm gonna stay right here." "Well how old is your daughter? he asks. "Does that matter?" she replies. The cop, whose demeanor then becomes physically agitated, is clearly outraged that someone refuses to answer his question, and demands "Actually it does, I want to know how old your daughter is". "She's young enough for me not to want to leave the house" the mom replies."I'm just asking a simple question maam, how old is she?" the officer pleads. "I don't have to answer questions though, I need to know what's going on", she replies. The fact the woman knows her rights seems to disarm the agressive manner of the officer. Regarding the alleged bow and arrow activity in the front yard, the officer says "you can't do that; you can't shoot a firearm within city limits", oddly referring to a crossbow as a 'firearm'.
The black uniform leaves and a heavy set older respectful officer meanders about, telling the wife that he doesn't know what's going on, but that "one (officer) is in an ambulance,...one of the officers got cut on something. I'm trying to figure out what that was." The woman says that her husband didn't have anything on him, to which the cop replies "I'm not saying he did, I'm not accusing him of anything".
The woman then comforts her young daughter who is upset by the events. A large yellow Gasden flag is seen hanging on the couple's living room wall. A man then calls from the porch into the house, introducing himself as what sounds like "Sergeant Yeager". He says "there was something going on here" and asks if he can speak with the woman until he notices the videocamera. At around 11:35 in the video, he stops as if dumfounded and his demeanor changes, and he demands "is there a reason why you're filming me?", holding up his left hand towards the camera. "Yes", she replies. "Why?" he asks. "Because I want to know the truth in the matter, they wouldn't let me out.. this is just wrong," she replies.
The woman banters back and forth with the sergeant but refuses to stop filming. "What happened, did something happen inside?" he asks, seemingly trying to edge his way into the house. "All I'm telling you is we're gonna out here for a while investigating this. So we may need to come inside talk with you s little bit," he says. "Nobody's coming in my house. Nothing happened in my house, nobody's coming in my house," she replies. "OK, well you got a child in there so I need to get a statement from you at some point", the sergeant says.
"That's fine, I'll come out here, nobody needs to come in my house. Nothing happened in my house."
"Okay", concedes the sergeant, who then asks another cop 'can we get some pictures...'
The black uniformed officer then returns, trying to garner how the incident happened and how two officers were injured.
The wife asks if her husband was injured and why so many cops showed up. "They got on the radio said that one was assaulted they needed immediate assistance right away. That's why", replies the sergeant.
"If no assault happened how did you get blood on the door?...we dont on a daily basis go and tackle people for no reason," muses the black uniformed cop.
At this point the woman continues discussing events with police and as some youtube commenters have pointed out, do not talk to police. The sergeant then continues with the demand to come inside the house, "because it an investigation".
"You can not seize my house without a search warrant", the woman says.
"Yes we can", the sergeant replies. "We can't search your house without a serch warrant. We can seize your house while we're trying"
"You can seize something I own?" the woman asks
"Absolutely. Absolutely", he smugly replies..
Local media have reported briefly on this case, here and here.
