Alleged sovereign citizen killed by police during traffic stop in Utah

[Consuming is good, it's what we're made for]

The man was pulled over for having an improper license plate.

On March 1, Chase Allan, 25, was pulled over by police in the small Utah town of Farmington after cops noticed he was driving without a legitimate license plate. In its stead was a plate that read “American State Citizen, Utah” and featured the U.S. seal—something an expert described as a sovereign citizen symbol.

Police released body camera footage of the shooting on Wednesday afternoon, which shows Allan speaking through a small crack in the window and refusing to provide his ID. "I don't need registration, and I don't answer questions,” Allan tells the police officer.

Eventually Allan provides the officer with his passport although he refuses to say that he is Chase Allan and adds that the passport is just a piece of plastic. “If you don’t step out we’re going to break the window and pull you out,” a cop tells Allan, who does not leave the vehicle and instead states, “We’re going to have an issue.”

Police then move in to remove him from the vehicle, and one repeatedly says “gun.” During a press conference revealing the footage Wednesday, Farmington Police Chief Eric Johnsen noted on the screen that Allan’s gun holster was initially obscured in the car and the weapon was eventually visible on the floor. It’s unclear if Allan was reaching for it at any point as he was also holding a cell phone.

Within seconds of the officer yelling “gun,” a barrage of shots ring out, hitting Allan, who later died at a hospital.

Embedded within this article is a link to a Facebook video where the police department plays the video. I watched it and I honestly feel sick for this guy. He was clearly a wingnut and held beliefs that I abhor, but he did nothing to deserve being shot to death in his car like this. It's clear in the video that he reaches, but I'm willing to bet he was reaching for seatbelt to comply with the officers' request. Four police officers emptying their clips on a guy (even after one cop yells "ceasefire") is a bit extreme, even if he was non-compliant up to that point.

Maybe it's radical of me to believe, but I don't think any arm of the government should have the right to say "comply or die." Regardless of skin color, political beliefs, or what have you.

[DaleCooper]

I'm going to wait until I'm sure I have all the information before deciding my stance on this, but if this turns out to have been an unjustified killing then all of these cops should be executed.

[doc gerritcole]

around 415-420 in the vid, hes reaching for something/switching his phone to his other hand, another angle fromthe front is needed imo to clarify

[ProudModerate2]

Can someone place a direct link to the video for this event. I looked around and could not find it.

[インターネット掲示板ユーザー Punxsutawney Phil]

At least many sovereign citizens tend to be morons. I'm not shocked that one might end up dead after an interaction by a police officer.

[Consuming is good, it's what we're made for]

Can someone place a direct link to the video for this event. I looked around and could not find it.

The police press conference can be viewed here (obviously a warning for graphic content, but you don't see too much of the aftermath)

At least many sovereign citizens tend to be morons. I'm not shocked that one might end up dead after an interaction by a police officer.

That doesn't justify them being killed when they're not doing anything wrong. I can understand the temptation to say "you get what you deserve" or "f--k around and find out" but it's grim when this happens to anyone. I would hope that maybe some of the right wingers who are quick to dismiss the need for real police reform will reflect on that position after seeing/reading this story along with the countless other similar situations. I doubt it though.

[Kamala-Tim 2024]

Can someone place a direct link to the video for this event. I looked around and could not find it.

The police press conference can be viewed here (obviously a warning for graphic content, but you don't see too much of the aftermath)

At least many sovereign citizens tend to be morons. I'm not shocked that one might end up dead after an interaction by a police officer.

That doesn't justify them being killed when they're not doing anything wrong. I can understand the temptation to say "you get what you deserve" or "f--k around and find out" but it's grim when this happens to anyone. I would hope that maybe some of the right wingers who are quick to dismiss the need for real police reform will reflect on that position after seeing/reading this story along with the countless other similar situations. I doubt it though.

The thing is he was doing something wrong, but that still doesn’t justify his being killed.

[Consuming is good, it's what we're made for]

Can someone place a direct link to the video for this event. I looked around and could not find it.

The police press conference can be viewed here (obviously a warning for graphic content, but you don't see too much of the aftermath)

At least many sovereign citizens tend to be morons. I'm not shocked that one might end up dead after an interaction by a police officer.

That doesn't justify them being killed when they're not doing anything wrong. I can understand the temptation to say "you get what you deserve" or "f--k around and find out" but it's grim when this happens to anyone. I would hope that maybe some of the right wingers who are quick to dismiss the need for real police reform will reflect on that position after seeing/reading this story along with the countless other similar situations. I doubt it though.

The thing is he was doing something wrong, but that still doesn’t justify his being killed.

Yeah, I would say there's a slight imbalance in crime vs. punishment here, which is what I was pointing out.

[インターネット掲示板ユーザー Punxsutawney Phil]

An unjust outcome is not necessarily the result of an unjust process. Tragicness is part of the randomness of life.

[Ferguson97]

I'm going to wait for more information before making a judgement, but these types literally go out of their way to start altercations like this. That doesn't necessarily justify the use of deadly force, but let's wait for the body camera footage to be released.

[インターネット掲示板ユーザー Punxsutawney Phil]

I'm going to wait for more information before making a judgement, but these types literally go out of their way to start altercations like this. That doesn't necessarily justify the use of deadly force, but let's wait for the body camera footage to be released.

20RP12 posted the body cam footage upthread.

[Santander]

I love Utah.

[ProudModerate2]

Can someone place a direct link to the video for this event. I looked around and could not find it.

The police press conference can be viewed here (obviously a warning for graphic content, but you don't see too much of the aftermath)

Thank you. Perfect video angles from all the officer's cameras.

My take is this ... If the dude's gun was in his holster (which is a fair assumption to make), and after all the shooting was over, the gun is then found on the floor-board, then it is fair to say that he was in the process of removing his gun to use it on the officers. He removed his gun but did not get a chance to use it, because the officers made swiss-cheese out of him. He then dropped the gun from the pain and death from all the shots (one or two bullets probably hit him in his head/brain, immediately de-mobilizing him).

If this is the case, I believe the officer's executed proper authority to use their weapons. I also want to say, did anyone else notice that the officer standing to the right of the vehicle and the one on the left, were very close to executing cross-fire on each other (if not actually doing so, and getting lucky their bullets did not hit their fellow officer on the other side of the vehicle). They need re-training.

[DrScholl]

Looking at the video there is a lot of speculative reasoning, but officers often have to react on assumption sometimes so that makes sense. It wouldn't be surprising if a sovereign citizen type would fire on the police. This really was an incredibly stupid thing to die over. There are countries where people truly have no freedom and there are idiots here willing to die over not wanting to register a car.

[NewYorkExpress]

Congratulations. You've gotten me to actually side with an officer who commits cold-blooded murder. Well done.

[Illiniwek]

I need to know, and I do mean I NEED to know, why people continue to think this sovereign citizen BS would ever work. What fake evidence are they presented with that suggest it works? What lies are they told of the supposed successes of sovereign citizens? How is it not overwhelmingly clear to them this is just a waste of time and will just get them in more trouble?

[Badger]

At least many sovereign citizens tend to be morons. I'm not shocked that one might end up dead after an interaction by a police officer.

Not just morons, but very dangerous morons. Vast majority are armed and actively considered police officers as immediate threats. If I was a cop and I had to choose whether to pull over a sovereign citizen or an MS-13 gang member, I choose the former every day of the week and twice on Sunday, as a gang banger like that will look at getting busted as just necessary doing time with his crew till it gets back in the street. Sovereign citizens consider every such confrontation life and death because of "muh liberty"

[Badger]

I need to know, and I do mean I NEED to know, why people continue to think this sovereign citizen BS would ever work. What fake evidence are they presented with that suggest it works? What lies are they told of the supposed successes of sovereign citizens? How is it not overwhelmingly clear to them this is just a waste of time and will just get them in more trouble?

Why do people believe against all evidence and rationality to the contrary that there's any debate Trump lost the election? Start from that standpoint and you'll get an idea. The bottom line is people believe way way too much $hit on the internet way way too deeply.

[dead0man]

Congratulations. You've gotten me to actually side with an officer who commits cold-blooded murder. Well done.

this doesn't make any sense.  If you think it was "cold blooded murder", how in the hell can you side with the cops unless you think all sovereign citizens should be murdered.  If you think the cops made the right call in the situation, then it's not cold blooded murder.

[Trump Is A Maoist]

I need to know, and I do mean I NEED to know, why people continue to think this sovereign citizen BS would ever work. What fake evidence are they presented with that suggest it works? What lies are they told of the supposed successes of sovereign citizens? How is it not overwhelmingly clear to them this is just a waste of time and will just get them in more trouble?

I personally know a sovereign citizen, and some of the things he says are beyond hilarious. I would highly recommend befriending one. Basically, the belief system is that the law is on their side, and even though police officers or members of the public won't recognize that, they'll ultimately be shown to be in the right if they are taken to court.

The guy I know told me that he mailed all of his ID back to the federal government (including provincial non-federal ID such as driver's license) and told them in a letter that he "no longer wished to subscribe to the Corporation Of Canada".

He also told me that due to a roughly 100 year old court case in British Columbia, a judge ruled that a carriage license (horse & carriage) was only required if you were using your carriage for commercial reasons. He somehow thinks that carriage licenses and driver's licenses are literally the same thing, other than a name change, and that therefore he no longer needs a driver's license. If taken to court, he will cite that court case and the judge will rule in his favour.

[Shaula🏳️‍⚧️]

Congratulations. You've gotten me to actually side with an officer who commits cold-blooded murder. Well done.

Really? I didn't think Atlas users would go as far as to celebrate the "cold-blooded murder" (in their own words) of an innocent citizen.
This makes me sick. You have no right to criticise Jan 6 rioters or in fact anyone committing political violence if you cheer for the murder of people who just disagree with you.

[Shaula🏳️‍⚧️]

This is sickening. Colourblind police reform is needed and cops need to be held responsible. Breonna Taylor's murder could have jumpstarted real legislation to crack down on bad cops, but the fentanyl death of George Floyd and the subsequent BLM riots ruined the movement.

[Trump Is A Maoist]

Breonna Taylor's murder could have jumpstarted real legislation to crack down on bad cops, but the fentanyl death of George Floyd and the subsequent BLM riots ruined the movement.

Do you have some weird need to take Ls regularly, in the way that everybody needs to eat food regularly, or something? Christ.

[DaleCooper]

Breonna Taylor's murder could have jumpstarted real legislation to crack down on bad cops, but the fentanyl death of George Floyd and the subsequent BLM riots ruined the movement.

Do you have some weird need to take Ls regularly, in the way that everybody needs to eat food regularly, or something? Christ.

The Pieman is an unemployed troll living off of other people's charity. The ignore feature is your friend.

[Shaula🏳️‍⚧️]

Breonna Taylor's murder could have jumpstarted real legislation to crack down on bad cops, but the fentanyl death of George Floyd and the subsequent BLM riots ruined the movement.

Do you have some weird need to take Ls regularly, in the way that everybody needs to eat food regularly, or something? Christ.

The Pieman is an unemployed troll living off of other people's charity. The ignore feature is your friend.

I got accepted into my first job today, also I 100% believe everything I say. Just because I disagree with you it doesn't mean I'm disingenuous. Best to stay away from as hominem attacks next time.