The story of Chase Allan, a 25-year-old man from Utah who was shot and killed by police officers during a traffic stop, has recently gained national attention after bodycam footage was released on Wednesday. The footage shows the lead-up to the officers opening fire on Allan’s car.
Allan was pulled over in his BMW by police in Farmington, a Salt Lake City suburb, around 3:20 pm after an officer spotted his illegal license plate. After pulling Allan over, an officer walked up to the vehicle and tapped on the driver-side window. Allan, who was holding a cell phone, cracked the window open.
The officer told Allan, “The reason you were stopped today is there is no registration on your vehicle.” Allan responded, “I don’t need registration, and I don’t answer questions.”
The officer called for backup and tried to obtain identification from Allan, who refused to cooperate. The officer informed Allan that he was “detained and not free to leave” and calmly offered to discuss with Allan the laws he was violating after obtaining documents of identification.
Allan argued against the officer’s request, to which the officer replied, “You are lawfully required to identify yourself.” Allan reluctantly yielded to the officer’s demands, handing his passport over to the officer but then insinuating that the passport was fraudulent.
At this point, assisting officers arrived at the scene, and the first officer asked Allan to step out of the vehicle. Allan warned the officers that they would “have an issue” if they continued to try and force him from his car. As Allan moved his phone from his right hand to his left, officers noticed a holster on the hip of the 25-year-old.
As the officers tried to physically remove Allan from his vehicle, Allan reached for his gun at which point an officer repeatedly yelled “gun!” The five responding officers then opened fire on the vehicle. After they removed Allan from the car, a gun was seen lying on the floor of the car by the front seat.
Allan was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead. The family of the 25-year-old has criticized the actions of the responding officers, calling the circumstances of Allan’s death a “brutal murder.”
This incident is not the first time that the Allan family has had an encounter with the same police department. In April 2022, Allan’s mother, Diane, was pulled over by the same department over an expired registration. She then filed a lawsuit in federal court against police chief Eric Johnsen, who was a police officer at the time, police officer Dane Hanson, and other officials.
In the lawsuit, Diane claimed that she is “one of the sovereign people of Utah” and has an “inherent right” to “be able to access the public roads without her Liberty restrained.” She also stated in her lawsuit that by warning her that her car would be impounded for improper registration, the officer was making a “declaration of war.”
This incident has sparked outrage and debate about police conduct and the use of force. Some argue that Allan was exercising his right to refuse to identify himself, while others argue that he put the officers’ lives in danger by reaching for his gun. The case is currently under investigation, and many are awaiting further details and developments.
WATCH the video below:
Source: 100PercentFedUp,