Montrose, CA Renowned private investigator Ken Sheppard parked his black Chevy Tahoe on a street in Montrose, California, on March 3, 2014, to conduct surveillance for a workers compensation fraud case, when several Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies took it upon themselves to accost and harass him for having tinted windows.
No one in the neighborhood called to report a suspicious, out-of-place individual or for any other reason yet these overzealous agents of the state pulled up behind Sheppards vehicle under that assumption, and approached with weapons drawn.
Fortunately, Sheppards occupation meant his vehicle was outfitted with plenty of video recording equipment. Unfortunately, the irrational and obviously terrified officers couldnt fathom the black man had a wholly legitimate reason to be parked in the largely white neighborhood even though residents didnt seem to care.
As journalist Jasmyne Cannick reports, the private investigators Tahoe did, indeed, have tinted rear and side windows as would be necessary to effectively do his job and was insured for $3 million. By all accounts, it would appear the deputies didnt bother with even a cursory investigation of Sheppards plates before assuming he had no business in Montrose.
Deputy Plunkett, who eventually identifies himself, exited his patrol car with his gun drawn and walked to the drivers side of the SUV. Sheppard, aware hed been cased and profiled incorrectly by the feckless officer, rolled down the window and immediately showed both hands to prove he didnt have a weapon.
In video footage, Sheppard politely, understandably, and immediately requests the deputy holster his weapon but Plunkett gets in the mans face, and peers into the vehicle, and in a confrontational matter, says,
What do you mean, holster my weapon?
Well, youre pulling your weapon, so Im telling you holster your weapon, because youve got nothing to fear, Sheppard calmly responds. My hands are clearly in sight.
Plunkett seems intent on starting trouble. In fact, were it not for his costume and shiny badge, his actions would be considered blatant and unjustified harassment and intimidation.
What are you doing? the deputy asks with contempt in his eyes.
Im sitting here in my vehicle, working, the private investigator replies with amazing restraint.
You some kind of P.I. or something? Plunkett retorts.
Does it appear that Im doing something illegal?
I dont know, the deputy says, essentially proving the mans point.
By this time, it has become obvious from the officers face he has no intention of either backing down, listening to reason, or treating Sheppard with decency and respect despite his having done nothing illegal, and, again, no calls had been made to report suspicious activity in the area.
Step out for me, Plunkett says, grabbing Sheppards wrist.
Perturbed by the unmitigated lunacy of being accosted by this unreasonable thug in uniform, Sheppard politely and firmly asks the officer to please remove his hand and summon his watch commander to the scene.
But his valid and repeated request for the supervisor made at least eight times falls on the deaf ears of the irrational Plunkett, who then leans in, asking if anyone else is in the SUV. Yet again, the deputy then needlessly escalates the situation by telling Sheppard hes being uncooperative forgetting, of course, that he has yet to provide the man with any reason, much less a valid one, for accosting him, grabbing his arm, or ordering him from the vehicle.
Plunketts hand visibly shakes, as Cannick points out, as he continues grasping Sheppards wrist making the fact he refuses to holster his service weapon a potentially life-threatening concern.
Sheppard repeats his requests for Plunkett to remove his hand, holster the weapon, and summon the supervisor numerous times to no avail.
I didnt hear you call for your watch commander, Sheppard tells the petrified deputy.
Well get to all that when were done with you, Plunkett says.
At one point during this fruitless exchange, Plunkett requests backup but not the watch commander and eventually releases the mans wrist. Sheppard, using the same hand in full view of the officer, reaches slowly to remove a bluetooth device from his left ear. Even though Plunkett can see precisely what Sheppard is doing reaching up to his ear, not down into the vehicle where the officer might have perceived the action as grabbing a weapon the deputy swiftly points his gun at the mans head.
Dont fuckin reach, I told you not to, the terrified deputy says, nervously pointing his gun just inches from Sheppards head, even though he never said such a thing. Besides trembling hands, video shows the pulse in Plunketts neck pounding.
Do not be fucking reaching, he repeats.
Deputy Rodriguez, identified in court documents, arrives on the scene, also with her weapon needlessly drawn. Sergeant Hollis soon joins them, followed by Deputy Hanson taser at the ready and Sheppard explains the absurd situation as Plunkett continues nervously pointing the gun, requesting the more senior officer order Plunkett to holster the weapon.
Eventually, Hollis relents and calmly asks the deputy not to aim the firearm at the mans head.
The sergeant then requests Sheppard exit the vehicle and Rodriguez immediately places cuffs on his wrists, barely giving enough time for him to comply with the order to turn around.
After placing Sheppard in the back of a waiting patrol car, officers proceed to search the SUV without even the suspicion of the commission of a crime.
But the cops havent finished with the innocent man and what happens next is truly astonishing given hed done nothing wrong in the first place.
With the Tahoes recording devices rolling, these sheriffs deputies who apparently had nothing better to do than waste taxpayer money to intimidate and threaten an innocent individual conspire to fabricate charges.
Cannick cites court documents in the matter, which state:
During the course of the next several minutes, the deputies on scene conspired to concoct a citable offense against Mr. Sheppard. These law enforcement officials attempted to justify Deputy Plunketts actions, ex post facto. Most critically, Deputy Hanson and Deputy Ramirez drafted a citation that was ultimately signed by Deputy Plunkett. Neither Deputy Hanson nor Deputy Ramirez was willing to personally sign the citation, after engaging in a lengthy discussion concerning the contents of said citation. As she was attempting to creatively fashion charges to be brought against Mr. Sheppard within the aforementioned citation, Deputy Hanson stated, please, just let me taser him.
Ultimately, Sheppard received citations for tinted windows and missing plates even though temporary, paper plates were properly posted on the rear of the Tahoe with registration in the windshield as required by law.
Sheppard filed a civil lawsuit in federal court in 2015 over the absurdly unjust incident for, Cannick writes, violation of his constitutional rights, assault, battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and various other charges.
Despite the telling video footage showing all these allegations to be true a jury last week found in favor of the sheriffs department.
Sheppard who, during the encounter, tells Sgt. Hollis he just finished a lawsuit with the same department over similar misconduct plans to appeal his case.
Harassment, intimidation, entertaining the idea of tasering someone for no conceivable reason, putting a gun to an innocent persons head, fabricating charges even when no crime has been committed or suspected this is what life is like in a police state.
Despite the telling video footage showing all these allegations to be true...
And you keep telling everyone you are a "truthseeker". What a joke!
Sheppard who, during the encounter, tells Sgt. Hollis he just finished a lawsuit with the same department over similar misconduct plans to appeal his case.
Harassment, intimidation, entertaining the idea of tasering someone for no conceivable reason, putting a gun to an innocent persons head, fabricating charges even when no crime has been committed or suspected this is what life is like in a police state.
And this is the kind of country Gatslime wants to see.
Your submissive authority fetish is appalling.
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. - Ron Paul
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."
I guess conspiring to fabricate bogus charges against an innocent man is just "creative police work".
From court documents:
During the course of the next several minutes, the deputies on scene conspired to concoct a citable offense against Mr. Sheppard. These law enforcement officials attempted to justify Deputy Plunketts actions, ex post facto. Most critically, Deputy Hanson and Deputy Ramirez drafted a citation that was ultimately signed by Deputy Plunkett.
Neither Deputy Hanson nor Deputy Ramirez was willing to personally sign the citation, after engaging in a lengthy discussion concerning the contents of said citation. As she was attempting to creatively fashion charges to be brought against Mr. Sheppard within the aforementioned citation, Deputy Hanson stated, please, just let me taser him.
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. - Ron Paul
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."
" Despite the telling video footage showing all these allegations to be true...
And you keep telling everyone you are a "truthseeker". What a joke! "
BINGO!! ROFLMAO !!
Si vis pacem, para bellum
Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who don't
Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.
if you look around, we have gone so far down the the rat hole, the almighty is going to have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah, if we don't have a judgement come down on us.
President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. --Clint Eastwood
"I am concerned for the security of our great nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." -- General Douglas MacArthur
"Unfortunately, the irrational and obviously terrified officers couldnt fathom the black man had a wholly legitimate reason to be parked in the largely white neighborhood"
Aha! A black man in a white neighborhood! No wonder the cops were suspicious.
Oh, wait. He had tinted windows. The cops couldn't know he was black. Why did the author bring race into it?
"Ultimately, Sheppard received citations for tinted windows and missing plates even though temporary, paper plates were properly posted on the rear of the Tahoe with registration in the windshield as required by law."
So THAT'S why the cops approached the car to begin with. Well, why didn't the author say that at the beginning of the article? This guy is a private investigator and doesn't know the law?
"Ultimately, Sheppard received citations for tinted windows and missing plates even though temporary, paper plates were properly posted on the rear of the Tahoe with registration in the windshield as required by law."
So THAT'S why the cops approached the car to begin with.
If the proper identification was visible, the cops had no business bothering him in the first place.
Once the cops determined the fact that this man was there on legitimate business and was not engaged in criminal activity, they should have just left him the fuck alone.
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. - Ron Paul
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."
If that paper identification was posted inside the tinted windows it couldn't be seen from the outside.
"the cops had no business bothering him in the first place.
He had tinted windows. That's against the law.
"Once the cops determined the fact that this man was there on legitimate business and was not engaged in criminal activity, they should have just left him the fuck alone."
Had he acted normally instead of like an asshole, I'm sure they would have.
He had tinted windows - which are necessary for the occupation he is in. Once the cop had determined that, he should have left the man alone or at most written him a citation for the windows.
But the cop did not do that, did he?
Had he acted normally instead of like an asshole...
There is no indication that he "acted like an asshole", unless of course you mean knowing his rights and interacting with the cop in a calm and rational manner.
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. - Ron Paul
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."
"He had tinted windows - which are necessary for the occupation he is in."
So if tinted windows are illegal -- except for private investigators -- well, he's going to stand out like a sore thumb and everyone's going to know who he is.
"or at most written him a citation for the windows."
Had he acted normally instead of like an asshole, I'm sure they would have.
It was the cops who behaved as paranoid assholes, not the PI.
There needs to be a course added to high school or middle school curriculums on how to behave around police to avoid giving them a reason to fear for their lives.
Cannick cites court documents in the matter, which state:
During the course of the next several minutes, the deputies on scene conspired to concoct a citable offense against Mr. Sheppard. These law enforcement officials attempted to justify Deputy Plunketts actions, ex post facto. Most critically, Deputy Hanson and Deputy Ramirez drafted a citation that was ultimately signed by Deputy Plunkett.
Neither Deputy Hanson nor Deputy Ramirez was willing to personally sign the citation, after engaging in a lengthy discussion concerning the contents of said citation. As she was attempting to creatively fashion charges to be brought against Mr. Sheppard within the aforementioned citation, Deputy Hanson stated,
please, just let me taser him.
Is conspiring to fabricate charges against an innocent man an example of honest police work?
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. - Ron Paul
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."
During the course of the next several minutes, the deputies on scene conspired to concoct a citable offense against Mr. Sheppard. These law enforcement officials attempted to justify Deputy Plunketts actions, ex post facto. Most critically, Deputy Hanson and Deputy Ramirez drafted a citation that was ultimately signed by Deputy Plunkett.
Neither Deputy Hanson nor Deputy Ramirez was willing to personally sign the citation, after engaging in a lengthy discussion concerning the contents of said citation. As she was attempting to creatively fashion charges to be brought against Mr. Sheppard within the aforementioned citation, Deputy Hanson stated, please, just let me taser him.
Was there a video or audio recording of that or was that simply a statement by Sheppard extracted from "court records?"
Just becuase something is taken from "court records" does not in any way certify it as factual.
Just becuase something is taken from "court records" does not in any way certify it as factual. Are you insane? You really think that court records are made up of lies?
Are you too stupid to realize that of course there are lies in court records.
What you posted was a statement by Sheppard that was copied from a court record. There is no indication that was the truth, it was only his sworn testimony to support HIS contentions.
With your anti-government disposition, you should not be surprised to learn that court records contain lies .there is shocking proof that some state prosecutors are liars and some state prosecutors knowingly present liars as witnesses. To them, winning is everything.
What you posted was a statement by Sheppard that was copied from a court record. There is no indication that was the truth, it was only his sworn testimony to support HIS contentions.
Oh - I guess the recordings made by Sheppard are false as well?
With the Tahoes recording devices rolling, these sheriffs deputies who apparently had nothing better to do than waste taxpayer money to intimidate and threaten an innocent individual conspire to fabricate charges.
Frigging simpleton.
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. - Ron Paul
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."
With the Tahoes recording devices rolling, these sheriffs deputies who apparently had nothing better to do than waste taxpayer money to intimidate and threaten an innocent individual conspire to fabricate charges.
That is a reporter's statement....that is not factual evidence.
Despite the telling video footage showing all these allegations to be true a jury last week found in favor of the sheriffs department.
"I wish this had been the first sentence of the article....I could have stopped reading immediately and not wastes time."
And you keep telling everyone you are a "truthseeker". What a joke!
Gatlin on the O.J. Simpson murder (if he's consistent): He was found not guilty - that's all anyone needs to know; I hope they find the real killer some day.
A government strong enough to impose your standards is strong enough to ban them.
Gatlin on the O.J. Simpson murder (if he's consistent): He was found not guilty - that's all anyone needs to know; I hope they find the real killer some day.
That is is not the way I look at it....you cannot say what I think and you cannot speak for me.
On the O.J. Simpson murder (and I am consistent): He was found not guilty and thats all anyone could do about it at the time; and that is the way it will stand unless they find someone some day to reopen the case and bring them to trial for the murders.
I said Sheppard's "statement" in the court record may not be the truth.
The "statement" was obviously made in reference to the video/audio evidence.
It is still his biased opinion to support his case. The jury will need to decide if the the officers were conspiring or simply conferring about the law violation he was going to be cited for.
"Ultimately, Sheppard received citations for tinted windows and missing plates even though temporary, paper plates were properly posted on the rear of the Tahoe with registration in the windshield as required by law."
What temporary paper plates [were] properly posted on the rear of the Tahoe?
In many states, a dealer is required to issue you plates when you buy a new car, or you're given a temporary plate that is displayed prominently in the rear window. But not in California. California car dealerships do not issue a paper license plate on the back window vehicles just sold. Rather than a paper license plate on the back window, a temporary registration in the form of a notecard-sized piece of paper on the front windshield with print so tiny that it looks like it came from the extended warranty on a laptop computer.
At some point, you gullible asshole .you need to stop blindly believing everything you want to believe and do some fact checking.
When will you be brave enough to take a few cops on a high speed chase, then after a few excited miles, slam your shitbox in park get out, start acting like an urban animal.... then reach into your car window?
Will you make the ultimate sacrifice, so your other drug addict loving PAULTARDS can protest the shooting of an unarmed asshole?
I'm the infidel... Allah warned you about. كافر المسلح
California dealerships do not issue a temporary paoer plate placed on the rear.
From your own link:
...people who recently bought a car simply drive around for a while nobody knows how long with those brightly-colored license plate inserts that dealerships put on all the cars that sit on their lots. Seriously: an enormous portion of cars in California drive around every single day with a "Toyota of San Whatever" license plate insert as their sole form of valid registration. And this is legal.
He had a LEGAL plate and the card sized registration in the vehicle.
Blithering simpleton.
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. - Ron Paul
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards."
even though temporary, paper plates were properly posted on the rear of the Tahoe with registration in the windshield as required by law..
From the article and your post
"Ultimately, Sheppard received citations for tinted windows and missing plates even though temporary, paper plates were properly posted on the rear of the Tahoe with registration in the windshield as required by law."
He had NO LEGAL PLATE. The author LIED. California dealers do NOT issue a trmporary paper plate to be posted on the rear of the vehicle.
He had a LEGAL plate and the card sized registration in the vehicle.
He had no LEGAL plate.
The article said he had a temporary paper plate posted on the rear of the Tahoe. California dealers do NOT issue any such plate.
You said he had "a card sized registration in the vehicle." That is a violation of the law. The card sized registration must be placed on the front windshield.