Saturday, July 13, 2013

DHS at California Checkpoint Breaks Driver’s Window, Seizes Property & Files No Charges

OFF THE WIRE
By Martin Hill
LibertyFight.com
July 10, 2013
An incredibly odd video is making the rounds on youtube and reveals a violent act by CA Homeland Security Agents who angrily bashed in a driver’s car window and put him in cuffs. The video, posted by youtube user Robert Trudell, was posted on June 21, 2013 and currently has 2,905 views, 21 likes and 2 dislikes. The video description simply reads “Get Out, Get Your Hands on Your Head, Get in the Hokey Pokey, US Border Patrol Checkpoint Detention Trailer, Shattered Window and Handcuffs, 31 May 2013, Pine Valley, California http://yuma310.com/border_dance.htm.”
A much longer 14-minute video of the same incident is here.
Trudell has 4,202 videos on his channel, many of them of internal border checkpoints, including the 20+ minute U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoint. Dateland, AZ Gas & Cameras, No Response to “Are you a US Citizen?”(41,804 views, posted Feb, 15 2013); the one minute condensed version What Country are you a Citizen of? US Border Patrol, No Consent Search, Right to Remain Silent and the 12 minute Border Patrol Checkpoint, Right to Remain Silent, US Route 95 Highway, Yuma, Arizona.
His website, titled “The USA Mexican Border Dance“, features many of his videos and photographs. Trudell’s car is elaborately riggged with mounted cameras and one photo taken from inside his car captured the dramatic shot of the border patrol busting out his window while he sits in the drivers seat. At first glance it isn’t entirely clear what transpired in the window-breaking incident, but Trudell’s replies to viewers questions tell more of the story. Trudell responds to one commenter by explaining “I didn’t Consent to a Search and Remained Silent (well except for the “Hmm?” to understand his Order.)” In response to a LibertyFight.com query this morning, Trudell replied, “I was detained for 9 hours following, handcuffed for 6, fingerprinted, photographed, criminal history check, FBI Interview looked up, stripped everything but my shoelaces, ID and Credit Cards and placed on foot in El Cajon that night at 10:30. The ACLU was waiting to see if they are pursuing Criminal Charges against me before filing a Civil Suit against them.–Rob” Here are a few more excerpts with Trudell answering various questions from viewers:
Q. What happened after?
A. “I was hoping the window would be broken open. I bought a spare ahead of time. Afterward everything I had was confiscated other than ID and Credit Cards. They held my Computers, Cameras, Phone for 21 days with no sight of when I’d get it back. I was handcuffed for 6 hours of my 9 hours in Detention. I wasn’t offered a toilet for most of that time. I was set on the streets of El Cajon at 10:30pm on foot 200 miles from home and 100 miles from my destination. I was denied covering events. –Rob

Q. Have you filed suit yet?
A. No. The ACLU is looking at the videos.Are you familiar with things like this? What type of scenario could I expect in a Civil Suit? What things can we all gain? –Rob

Q. Did they really have to bust the window or were they just being bell ends?
A. I wasn’t going to open the window or door. I wasn’t Consenting to a Search which they make very clear is being done with the hand held, belt mounted and shoulder mounted Sniffing devices they wave around and in Vehicles. I have no idea what there Cause or Suspicion was for breaking the window open. –Rob

Q. what country is that? ah, land of the free, i understand…
A. Land of the Free of all Your Material Goods, and Free to Keep Your Hands Behind Your Back in Cuffs for 6 Hours, Free of Toilets for 9 Hours, and Free of Your Vehicle for the Ping Pong Weekend and Free of Cameras to Film the Senior Table Tennis Event. –Rob

Q. What did you do for them to act like that?
A. I didn’t Consent to a Search and Remained Silent (well except for the “Hmm?” to understand his Order.) –Rob

Q. Damm so are you going after them for damages and property damage?
A. They gave me a SF-95 form to file for Damages. –Rob

Q. So did they charge you with anything?
A. I don’t think so. They held my stuff for 21 days. The Property guy said he was waiting for them to file some Charges and to try to get a Search Warrant to look at my Videos (They had my Laptop, Phone and iPod also till today.)

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