[Music] Police officers come in many shapes, forms, and sizes. No one can take away from the fact that their job is incredibly dangerous and stressful. And sometimes this comes out the wrong way, like the use of excessive force. Relax. Jacket. Put that jacket down right now. Put the jacket down. However, sometimes the officers can be ignorant, blatantly disrespectful of basic human rights, and as you'll see later on, even plant evidence that makes innocent people go to jail. Jack, come here. Report this. Come on outside. Report this. Come outside. In doing so, more often than not, these cops destroy their own careers. So, join me as I explore the three cases that ended the careers of corrupt cops. We start off today's lineup with a self-confessed tyrant cop. Okay, let's pause and rewind here. The navigational aids. What's the problem? You a tyrant? Yeah, I am actually. Because it seems like this doesn't make any sense. This is James Hodgej. He's a visually impaired veteran who lives in Lake City. While casually walking home from jury duty, he was stopped, harassed, and arrested by two police officers who were clearly stepping over the line. To be fair, it all started innocently and relatively reasonably as officer Jaime Go saw Hodgeges had something in his back pocket and suspected he might be carrying a concealed weapon. Notice how the conversation starts off politely, but it will quickly take a U-turn. Hi there. Hey, what's this in your back pocket? By the look on his face, you can see that James Hodgej is really irritated by this question. In case you were wondering, this veteran has eyesight problems and is legally blind. However, using his navigational aid often makes him a target for petty criminals. So, when he's walking on known streets where he feels confident, he doesn't use it. This was one of those days. And the navigational aid was neatly folded in his back pocket. The navigational aid. What's the problem? You a tyrant? Yeah, I am actually. What's your name and date of birth? From this moment on, the situation just gets worse and worse. It looks like the reply Hodgees gave didn't sit well with Officer Go, and she starts badgering him for information. The reality of the matter is that at that point, it was clear that Hajes didn't have a concealed weapon. Therefore, there was no reasonable articulated suspicion that he was committing or was about to commit a crime. Hence, everything that the officer and her partner do next is clearly unlawful. Luckily for Hajes, he knows his rights. I don't have to give that unless Yes, sir. I was investigating. Do you want me to put you in handcuffs right now? Yes, sir, I do. Wow, that escalated quickly. To jump from hey there to I'll put you in handcuffs in a matter of seconds is incredibly strange. Yet, Mr. Hodes stood his ground and the situation just continued to escalate. What is your suspicion? It looks like you're carrying a gun in your back pocket. I'm stopping to make sure you're carrying it properly. Right there, the officer actually contradicted herself. She didn't think it was just any weapon. She thought it was a gun. By now, it's more than clear that this is not a gun. Yet, for some reason, she seems hellbent on harassing Mr. Hodes, who knows what this cop is doing is unlawful. Have you ensured that it's not a firearm? No, you keep turning so I can't see it. You don't have to be a dick to me. Well, you're being one to me. And here, the monster rears its ugly head. She might have stopped him under the suspicion that he was carrying a concealed firearm, but the reason she keeps badgering him is that he's apparently being a jerk about it. Hodes even takes the aid out again, showing it clearly to the officer. Keep in mind that in the USA, being a jerk is a constitutionally protected right, but what the officer keeps doing is not. No, sir. I'm doing my job. Am I detained? Yeah, you are. What's your name and date of birth? It does not matter. Yes, sir. It does. Do you have a crime? Would you like me to put you in classroom? He's right here. Another thing I want to point out is how calm and collected Hodes is. Many people would have lost their composure by now, but he remains as cool as a cucumber. When the supervisor arrives, instead of deescalating the situation, he makes it even worse. But still, Hajes remains calm. Sir, what she stopped you for? For a walking stick. It could look like a weapon. She asked you to present it. Okay. Now she's asking me for to ID. I don't need to ID unless there's a reasonable articulated suspicion that I have committed a crime and committing a crime or is about to do a crime. I just want to pause here for a moment. Notice how the moment Hajes mentions that the supervisor touches his chest. Did he just turn off the camera or is he also triggered by someone who knows his rights and this was just an involuntary movement? What do you think, Ryan? Sir, and her suspicion was that you were armed. Okay. She's asking for your ID. Well, now she has verified that I am not on. Okay. So, there is no Do you have your ID or not? I do have my ID. You don't need it. Okay. At this point, the audio is hard to comprehend. However, the cops proceed to put Mr. Hodgees in handcuffs. As they do that, Mr. Hodgees seems takenback by the whole situation, but he remains calm and cooperative. I don't know where his wallet is. Where's your wallet at, sir? I don't have a wallet on me. Okay. Where's your ID? Where's your eye in my pocket? It's amazing that not one but two cops, one of which is a supposed supervisor, engage in such unlawful activities. Did it not occur to them that they might get in trouble because of this? Anyway, right about now, Hodgeges realizes that they're doing an illegal search. Which you are not allowed to search me. This, of course, does not stop them and they proceed to ID Mr. Hodes. Hodgeges, for his part, just endures this harassment. But as you're about to see, he's not about to go down without a fight. All right, Mr. Hodes, was that that hard? It's going to be. I want your name and your badge number. You know, I put him in jail for resisting. Okay. What? This has to be the dumbest cop ever. He totally fails to understand that this guy is no criminal and that he's about to press charges. Yet, he does the stupidest thing ever, unlawfully putting him in jail and saying it on camera. Have a seat. You want to pick my property up, please? I sure will. After you have a seat. You want to pull this out of my back pocket? Sure. Here, I'll grab your jacket for you, too. Mr. Hodes was kept in jail without 10 life sustaining medications. Not surprisingly, he's suing the police to the full extent of the law, and he requested DOJ and FBI investigations. This incident resulted in suspensions and one demotion, but what do you think the punishment should be for cops who act as tyrants? Now, I've seen my fair share of videos with bratty entitled teens who seem to think they're above everyone else, but this kid is something else. Okay, but you can't just come in the house without We have to control this situation. Do you have a search warrant? We don't need a law. Yes, you do. Divide. You might want to go to school and learn the law. I already know the law, but you don't. Okay, we're not we're not going to. Okay, please don't talk to me. So, I'm get out of my way. Okay. This is my case. It's your case. I'll talk to you as much as I want. Okay. Well, I'm not going to respond to you. You don't have to respond to me, but I can talk to you. Have a good day. This kid's name is Jack, and he single-handedly verbally dismantled not one, but three cops. Later on, he sued them, got them fired, and supposedly his family received a hefty compensation for the ordeal. The reason he got into a confrontation with these cops is that they unlawfully forced their way into their home without a warrant, assaulted his dad, and then arrested him. Wow. There has to be a reason they did that, right? Well, it's complicated. So, let's take it from the start. The whole thing started when Jack rode his gas-powered bike down the street. Apparently, a neighbor started complaining and threatened to beat him up. At that point, Jack's father, Michael, confronted the neighbor. There was another witness, probably a nosy neighbor, who saw the whole thing and called the police. She stated that Michael had a gun concealed in the back of his pants. Three officers responded to the call, namely officers Rodriguez, Proctor, and Thor. You can hear Officer Thor speaking on the radio. Yeah, I copy the complainant told me that. At that moment, the officers approach the house looking for Michael. And Michael is apparently ready as he steps out onto the porch with a telephone already filming the encounter. Can I help you? Hello. Are you uh Michael? Hi. Uh, can I help you something? Yeah. Uh, we're here about a name. Officer Rodriguez. Uh, first name? Jim. Jim. How are you, Jim? Notice how up until this point, everyone is being very cordial. Michael is asking the officers to ID themselves, and even though he has every right to do so, they probably don't like that very much. Also, he's recording them. And I guess this also ticked them off. Your name, please. Sure. Sorry. Badge number. What's that? Badge number, please. Let's go ahead and talk about the incident that you had out here a few minutes ago. And this is the moment it all goes wrong as Michael has no intention to discuss it with them. Keep in mind that he wasn't accused of anything yet. Nor did the officers say that they have a warrant to search his house. Let's go ahead and talk about the incident that you had out here a few minutes ago. Don't know what you're talking about. Okay, step down here for me. No thanks. Yeah. No. No. So, Michael heads back in and the cops unlawfully and forcefully enter his house, grabbing him. The officer's body cam falls to the floor, but it continues filming. At one point, Michael says he's not going outside. I'm not talking outside. Can we call Can we talk right here? Sure. You'd think the cop would let him go at this point, try to deescalate and continue the conversation, right? Officer Rodriguez keeps pulling Michael and telling him to come outside, even though they just agreed to talk there. At that point, Michael calls his son, Jack, and tells him to film everything. From the staircase, Jack records how his officers wrestle his father and tase him. This is unbelievable. No, I know. This is unbelievable. Walk in the house without a search warrant. This is unbelievable. It's all on film. Get my camera. It's on my phone. It's on my phone. He The whole thing is on film. Notice how calm this kid is. He just witnessed three cops barge into his home, wrestle and tase his father, and take him outside. Yet, he's cool, collected, and keeps on filming. And not only that, but he confronts the cops on multiple occasions, showing them that he knows the law better than they do. The whole thing is on phone. The whole thing is on Jack. Follow me and report. Follow me. Talk to you. He recorded the whole thing. This guy is out of control. Okay. What's your What's What's your name? Step back. Look, look, look. He just You can record all you want, but you're stepping back right now. Hey, don't touch me. Stop harassing me. You've got to hand it to this kid. Here are these huge cops arresting his father, shouting orders at him, and yet he's never rattled, even when they increase the intimidation factor. I'm chill. I've been chilling. You can record all you want, but you're not going to get close to I'm on my property. Move back to my personal space. I'm going to stand right here. This is my personal square. Please move. I'm going to stand right here. Please move. You're in my personal space. Then another cop steps in to intimidate the kid. It backfires because this kid obviously knows what he's doing. What's your name? Yeah, I do not need to give you that. Yeah, you do. For what reason? Don't do it. You're involved. I'm involved with this. Yes. So, this cop doesn't even know what this is. Yet, he tries to push the kid to ID himself, which is a violation of the Fourth Amendment. Not only that, but he doesn't even know the difference between a badge number and his name. Don't do I'm involved with this. Yes. But this guy threatened me and called the cops on you. And what's your what's your badge number? What's your name? What's your badge number? badge number that says name. 3K12. Okay. Now, what's your name? I'm not making any statements. You're not making any statements? Nope. Okay. I have the right to identify you. You understand that, right? Then you can search up my face and you can search up my record. Okay. Okay. Michael is then informed that he's being arrested for failing to identify himself. At that point, the cops once again try to block Jack from filming and continue to bully him. Step back. Do not step forward. What did I just tell you? Please get out of my space. I do not have to. You cannot interfere with what we're doing. I'm not interfering when I'm on my property. Don't step towards the car. You did step towards the car. I told you not to. He tried to run from us. It's then that Jack notices the cops going back into his house. Hey. Hey. Hey. Stay back. I'm going in my house. Stay back. I'm going. If you try and come past me, you're going to go on the ground face first. Do you understand me? Okay. And then I'm going to file a complaint against you. Get your camera. Go grab your camera. Yes. I'm allowing you to do that. But you cannot walk in my house. There you go. Okay. So, this kid really has some nerve. Most adults would buckle under the pressure if an officer threatened them so aggressively. Also, he had no right to do that. They were going back inside to get the body cam that fell to the ground. And that could have been communicated in a calm way. Not only did Jack not buckle, but he had the courage to confront them. I have three cops on me and I'm 15 years old cuz you guys intruded my house. Your attitude. So, you were the one driving up and down the street on the motorcycle? Uh, I was on my gas bicycle. Okay, that's a gas powered vehicle. You have to have a driver's license. Um, no you don't. Not when it's 50 cc and you have a permit for it. It was just beautiful to watch this kid stand his ground and not crumble under pressure. We don't know that when we We don't know that. That's that's what I'm saying. I understand that. Yes, I totally understand that. But you can't just tackle him. But when he's told to stop, he has to stop. That's a lawful command by an officer. We can get physical. Okay. But you can't just come in the house without We have to control this situation. search warrant. We don't need a law. Yes, you do. You might want to go to school and learn the law. I already know the law, but you don't. Okay. And the irony of the thing is is that Michael does have a conceal and carry permit. That means that even if he had a gun at the time of the altercation, he was not committing a crime as long as he didn't brandish the weapon and threaten people with it, which he did not. The state prosecutor transferred the case to the Park City Municipal Court, which then sent it to Salt Lake City. Michael was charged with interference with an arresting police officer, failure to disclose identity, and disorderly conduct, creating an offensive condition. But he's also suing the police for over a million dollars. In the aftermath, officer Rodriguez was charged with five misdemeanor counts. Sergeant Thor with three and officer Wear with one. Thor and Rodriguez got fired soon after cuz the car smells like marijuana. So, we're going to check it. All right. Okay. And then we'll then if it's not there, this officer will plant some so he can justify the excessive force he and his partner just used on you guys. Meet officers Elmer Pastron and Kyle Ericson, and you're about to see their cunning strategy unfold. They pulled over passenger Jason Serrano and his friend for a broken tail light. Under the pretense that they smelled marijuana, they want to search the car. The altercation starts when Serrano refuses to give the officers his jacket. He empties his pockets in front of them, but refuses to give it to them, probably being afraid they would plant something. A struggle ensues, and the officers tackle him to the ground and handcuff him. At one point, while still lying on the ground, Serrano asks that somebody get their badge numbers. It's then that we hear the first conversation between the two officers. [Music] Yes, there's a whole thing. To the chagrin of both of them, Ericson finds nothing in the car. Nothing at all. Officer Pastin joins the search, looking in the trunk and going through all their personal belongings. Pretty soon, it becomes obvious to them that they're not going to find anything suspicious. Good. Then, miraculously, they find it in the most obvious spot, even though it's been searched before and no one saw anything. That's weird. said 911 everywhere though. Yeah. No, he had weed. You can see his weed. But this was all footage from Pastron's body cam. Let's see what Erikson was up to. You can see him searching all over the car, including the cup holder. He even confesses he found nothing. You have any bees on you? No. 1908. Sorry. Yeah. You can even see the worried look in his eyes. Then 20 seconds later, he returns to the front side and places something in the cup holder, which was empty just minutes ago. Suddenly, there's also weed flakes in the jacket now. So, the crooked cops try to play the part. I want to get some shot, you know. Yeah, that's probably why he was bugging out cuz he had a little weed on him. So, there's a little marijuana in the Jag, which is probably why he was [ __ ] out. But at one point, the officers even fist bump each other. You good? Good. Search my car. Like, what is he doing, man? Stand back. Why? What are you doing? Safe to say, these guys won't be getting an Oscar for their performance. And they're lucky they didn't get jail time. Instead, Ericson was allowed to retire while Pastron is still on the force. Serrano was the one who got the short end of the stick. He decided to take a plea deal and pleaded guilty to avoid jail time. And it wasn't until 2 years later that these body cam videos were made public. Yeah. You know what I mean? Check. Bring the dragon with It's his anyway. At that point, another case was revealed where Ericson planted evidence as he didn't realize that the body cam starts filming 30 seconds before it's actually turned on. If you ask me, these cops didn't get punished at all. So, let's be fair. There are multiple ways that police officers can abuse their power. Some of them use excessive force even when the suspect is already in handcuffs. And even though spitting on the suspect is completely unacceptable behavior, in my opinion, what Ericson and Pastron were doing is even worse. Sending innocent people to jail has to be the lowest and most disturbing thing a cop can do. Do you agree? And do you think these cops got what they deserved? Or like me, do you think they should get jail time for planting evidence? Let me know in the comments below.