COP WHO PULLED GUN IS BELIEVED TO BE NAMED COLLINS
Fort Worth – Sons of Liberty Riders President Butch (Popeye) Moss is not the only complainant in multiple internal affairs complaints over the arrest of three bikers in a Stockyards biker gear and apparel store.
A source close to the investigation of a Ft. Worth Police internal affairs probe of the Saturday, September 22, arrest of three members of a motorcycle club for unlawful carry of a weapon confirmed earlier reports that:
- One motorcycle was extensively damaged when a police officer shoved it from its precarious position on the kickstand during a roadside investigation;
- Another was damaged when an officer broke a hole in the saddlebag to obtain a weapon the rider had locked inside for safekeeping;
- The three club members arrested reportedly were denied articles of their clothing when released on $600 appearance bond for the charge, a violation of Texas Penal Code Section 46.02. The arresting authorities consider their bandanas and the patches on their waistcoats – known as cuts in the world of motorcycle enthusiasts who belong to clubs – as evidence of their membersip in “a criminal street gang, as defined by Section 71.01,” under the provisions of Section 46.02 (2)(C).
ONE MAY READ THAT LAW BY CLICKING HERE
Police apprehended the trio at Wilson’s Leathers, 4225 N. Main, Ft. Worth Stockyards, as they shopped for rain gear during a wet spell of Texas autumn weather.
The officer in charge of the Special Response Team (SRT) is believed to be named Collins.
He is depicted on video made at the time of the arrests with his sidearm withdrawn from the holster and pointed at the backs of the men so detained while they searched their persons.
Said the source, who requested anonymity because he is in fear for his safety and because his organization does not authorize that he speak publicly for attribution about this affair, “While we were being detained and harassed by SRT, I glanced at Sgt. Steroids’s name plate and I believe it said Collins. Collins is also the name they gave me at the property room when we went to retrieve our property, but they would not release it, stating our clothing was evidence.”
The individual added that the name of the officer heading up the investigation is unknown, and that “1-817-392-3676 is the phone number we were given for the lead officer on the case.”
The source said he “told Internal Affiars I wasn’t 100 percent sure of his (the) identity (if the Sergeant who pulled the firearm and pointed at their backs) but in a line up I could pick him out of a crowd.”
None of the three men arrested were advised of their Miranda rights prior to their arrest and the magistration of their charges, our source said. According to reports, the men were questioned “for at least two hours” by seven separate officers seeking information about their club affiliation and their reason for being in Ft. Worth and at Wilson’s Leathers at the time of their arrest.
The name of the Ft. Worth Police Case is 18-85511. Court papers relative to the charges as stated by the Judge who set their bond are being sought during the weekend.
According to our source, he and his companions consider their arrests a violation of their First Amendment right under the U.S. Constitution to freedom of association with those they choose; he also complained that his right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment is paramount to the consideration that he was illegally carrying a firearm because he was directly en route to a motor vehicle at the time of his arrest.
Finally, he and his companions do not understand why their clothing has been seized as evidence, or why their firearms were confiscated while the case is pending. None of what they are doing, in their opinion, is prohibited by law. He considers those facts of the case a violation of his Fourth Amendment guarantee of freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.
More details will be published herein as they become available.
ONE MAY READ A LEGAL MEMO REGARDING UNLAWFUL CARRY BY CLICKING HERE
So mote it be.
* Legendary