Chase Allan was pulled over by Utah cops for not having a proper license plate. He said he didn’t need a registration and didn’t have to cooperate. A 25-year-old man who espoused beliefs that aligned with the so-called “sovereign citizen” movement was shot dead by police officers in Utah after being pulled over for driving without a proper license plate. On March 1, Chase Allan, 25, was pulled over by police in the small Utah town of Farmington after cops noticed he was driving without a legitimate license plate. In its stead was a plate that read “American State Citizen, Utah” and featured the U.S. seal—something an expert described as a sovereign citizen symbol. Police released body camera footage of the shooting on Wednesday afternoon, which shows Allan speaking through a small crack in the window and refusing to provide his ID. “I don’t need registration, and I don’t answer questions,” Allan tells the police officer. Eventually Allan provides the officer with his passport although he refuses to say that he is Chase Allan and adds that the passport is just a piece of plastic. “If you don’t step out we’re going to break the window and pull you out,” a cop tells Allan, who does not leave the vehicle and instead states, “We’re going to have an issue.” Police then move in to remove him from the vehicle, and one repeatedly says “gun.” During a press conference revealing the footage Wednesday, Farmington Police Chief Eric Johnsen noted on the screen that Allan’s gun holster was initially obscured in the car and the weapon was eventually visible on the floor. It’s unclear if Allan was reaching for it at any point as he was also holding a cell phone. Within seconds of the officer yelling “gun,” a barrage of shots ring out, hitting Allan, who later died at a hospital. Allan was hit 12 times, according to the family, who described the situation as a “brutal murder” and raised questions about if the arrest was targeted, an idea the police rejected. In an emotional Facebook post, Allan’s sister wrote that police were “stonewalling” them and that they learned about his death from the news.
via vice: Man Killed by Cops During Traffic Stop Had ‘Sovereign Citizen’ License Plate