A UFC fighter has made headlines following a run in with police, caught on camera, during which he was tased and arrested after asking the cops to identify themselves.
In the video, mixed martial artist Dave Herman is seen asking the cops “Do I know you?” and “Who are you?” after they pulled him over during a routine stop.
Herman says he opted to stop in the first well lit, public area he could find when the cops began following him, in order to ensure his own safety and that of his wife and infant child, also in the vehicle.
Rather than identify themselves by showing their badges and licenses, the cops drew guns and yelled at Herman to comply, shouting “WE ARE THE POLICE!”
When Herman, hands raised above his head in a non threatening manner, continued to ask the cops to show him ID, they fired a taser dart and shocked him with 50,000 volts.
Herman’s wife Madeleine provided a commentary explanation of the account in a video:
As soon as the cops realized that Madeleine Herman was filming the incident, and when she also asked them to show their badges, they identified themselves.
One of the cops is also briefly seen discussing with a superior the fact that he was not wearing a body camera nor did he have an in vehicle camera turned on during the incident.
Herman, a professional fighter since 2006, claims he was flagged by police for driving with his hazard lights on, saying he was having trouble with the vehicle losing power. He was arrested and held overnight.
Speaking with MMA Junkie, Herman says the cops treated him “like a dog and an animal,” adding “they’ve been very disrespectful to my wife and family, as well, and have endangered their lives.”
“I was finally released (Wednesday) afternoon at the latest hour of the day that they possibly could. I was told that it was because they did not like my sense of humor,” Herman notes. “They said clearly, on the phone with my wife, ‘We are going to hold him until the 47th hour because we don’t like his sense of humor.’ That’s what they told her when she was calling asking for information about me.”
Herman also claims that the police attempted to take naked photos of him after the arrest.
“I sat for five minutes and they tried to take naked pictures of me. They did actually force me to give them some naked pics, which was pretty messed up.” Herman states.
Herman faces three felony charges, as described by his wife in the video, including battery and endangerment of a dependent. A pre-trial date has been set for early March.
Speaking of the charges, Herman said “Those three felonies all happened. I didn’t do them – they were done to me. And then the charges were put on me for getting them done to me. That’s ridiculous. What kind of a man, what kind of a person would do something like that?”
“I want all the charges leveled against me that they committed against me, charged against them. This is retarded. That cop needs to go to the police station and file all those charges against himself. That’s what I’d like to see happen. I want his badge. Somebody who acts like that should not be a police officer.” Herman adds in the interview.
“They endangered the life and safety of my child,” he urges. “They opened the car door without a warrant, made my wife sit there with the door open and the windows down in freezing temperatures in the snow and she asked, ‘Hey, can I roll the window up? Can I close the door? I’m trying to keep my baby warm.’ And they said no. So everything they did to me, they assaulted me physically and verbally, (and) they endangered the life of my child. Those are three felony charges against me. They’re charging me with everything they did to me. Does that make sense at all?”
While police are not specifically required to show three forms of ID, as stated by Herman in the video, they are required to identify themselves if asked by a member of the public.
“Common sense, anytime you’re dealing with anyone, you identify yourself,” Herman said. “Especially if you have a gun in my face and you’re asking me to do something. Who are you? I have the right to know who I’m talking to in any situation. I’m a person, and I deserve to be treated as a human being and an individual, not a dog.”
