A bodycam video of the shooting death of armed law student Chase Allan, 25, who was slain on March 1 after defying police orders and refusing to provide his information, has been made public by Utah police, Allan was killed in the incident.
Police pulled over Allan, who identified himself as a sovereign citizen, for having an unauthorized license plate. Sovereign citizens do not see themselves as subject to national or state laws.
The 25-year-old declined to provide the authorities with his license or even his name. When the police eventually opened his car door, they could not miss Allan’s weapon.
Officers fired fire as Allan reached downward for what they believed might be a holster or revolver, Farmington Police Chief Eric Johnsen told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday.
Due to the car door and an officer bending in to grab Allan obstructing body cameras, he stated that the footage was ambiguous regarding what occurred right prior to the shooting.
According to earlier accounts, officers were told to switch off their body cameras barely minutes after the incident, the police fired twelve shots at Allan.
His relatives called the incident ‘brutal murder’ in the lead-up to the release of the tape. Diane, Allan’s mother, claims she believes her son was terrified for his safety during the deadly traffic encounter. Diane previously sued the Farmington Police Department due to her own traffic incident. In 2022, she was pulled over by the same police agency for having a license that had expired. She refused to answer the cops’ questions about whether or not she had a license or registration.
The footage that was made public does not name the five officers. The first officer’s vehicle can be seen pursuing Allan, a 25-year-old former collegiate soccer player, into a post office parking lot at the beginning of the footage. To inquire about the illegal license plate, the officer approaches Allan’s car.
Law student Allan asserts that he isn’t giving the officer the right to hold him. The video captures Allan handing over a passport after disputing with the police and refusing to present his identification or registration. When asked to get out of his car, he then refuses.
Afterward, a second cop issues a threat to break Allan’s window and remove him from the vehicle. Allan may be seen swapping which hand he’s holding the phone in while ostensibly recording the encounter on his cellphone.
The police collection footage that was edited and played at the news conference on Wednesday suddenly pauses and concentrates on Allan’s hand motion, which liberates the hand that is closest to a hip holster underneath his jacket.
Currently, no firearm is discernible in the holster or anywhere else in the video. The officer then makes the same demand again for Allan to get out of the car. Allan can be seen moving when the door opens, but it’s unclear whether he’s attempting to access the holster or unbuckle his seatbelt.
Utah Man Shot by Police During Traffic Stop
After a brief delay, the officer calls out “Gun!” Back-up cops position themselves to flank the back and passenger side of the car and start firing. After many seconds of gunfire, an officer commands a halt to all shootings.
None of the officers stated that Allan fired back. Later, Farmington Police published images showing a firearm discovered on the car’s floorboard. A weapon on the floorboard and an empty holster on Allan’s hip is visible in edited clips of the video that were released on Wednesday.
One week after the shooting, the Farmington Police Department came under fire from the Allan family, who claimed that officers were “stonewalling” rather than answering questions regarding the slaying. This led to the release of the video. The initial officer’s choice to request assistance, which the police chief claimed was usual, and the number of shots fired have both been questioned by the family.
Allan’s non-conformist speech in the video also follows rumors about the family’s participation in the so-called Sovereign Citizen movement, which were sparked by signs seen on his car and recordings from earlier occurrences in a nearby courthouse.
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