Charges dropped against man who was assaulted, arrested for videotaping
After attempting to videotape security guards beating up his friend outside an Oklahoma City shopping mall last November, James Lane was himself assaulted.
But guess who ended up going to jail?
You got it. Lane was charged with assault and battery on the security guards, even though an Oklahoma City cop witnessed – and eventually joined – the melee.
Last week, charges against Lane were dropped when the security guards testified in court that he, in fact, did not assault them.
This, of course, was a complete contrast to what they told police in the arrest report.
The camera, which had been confiscated by police, was only recently returned to him. You can see part of the footage from the incident in the above video.
Lanes’s friend, Brent Southard, the one who was getting piled on by a group of security guard when Lane approached them with a camera, was convicted of disorderly conduct and sentenced to six months probation.
The incident began when Lane, Southard and other friends who make up the activist group We Are Change Oklahoma were conducting an act of disobedience inside a shopping mall during Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.
The activists started tossing hundreds of “deception dollars” from the second floor down to the food court, which is fake money they say was meant to “educate shoppers.”
When security guards approached the activists, they all took off running.
Southard, who was holding a large bag filled with these dollars, was chased out into a garage parking lot with Lane following close behind with the camera.
The guards caught up to Southard and pounced on him. And then they pounced on Lane when he showed up to the scene with the camera.
And then police arrived and arrested the two men.
The obvious question here is whether or not private security guards have the right to tackle and physically detain people for committing non-violent crimes.
At worst, tossing fake dollars inside a private shopping constitutes disorderly conduct.
Lane now has a pending civil suit against the security guards.
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Comments
So, James and his associate were assaulted by security guards for tossing some phoney money inside the shopping mall. Golly, they were lucky they didn’t FART or they might have ended up dead!
This is private property. There is no right to toss garbage at the shoppers or to record video on private property. That doesn’t justify an assault on the man; nor does the assault justify messing about on someone else’s property.
Why exactly would someone dumping phony bills (trash) provoke a security guard to assault? I could see it if it was the janitor that had to clean all that crap up but the security guard? I don’t get it.
9-11 truthers? really? I thought the stunt was pretty stupid but the cause behind it is even dumber. Has there ever been a historic event captured on more cameras simultaneously? No. All 9-11 truthers have paranoid delusions and listen to Coast-to-Coast with George Noory. They also believe in shadow people and chemtrails. Estos gringos son loco.
If I was selected for the jury pool (possible now that I’ve left S. Florida, sniff sniff) I would give these bozos $20 in damages.
Right to tackle: Questionable but possibly. Right to detain: Yes
Oklahoma has pretty well spelled out citizens arrest laws. As agents of the property owners, they likely have more than just citizens arrest law on their side.
Why did they run? Don’t they believe in their cause sufficiently to stand in defense of it?
The above video does nothing to garner my sympathy for this clown, either.
This Popular Mechanics article debunks all of the major 9-11 conspiracy theories:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/news/1227842
I respect your right to disagree with the information on the flyers, freedom of speech is a wonderful thing. I also respect other natural rights like private property. That does not give them the right to assault people and file false charges though. I can not be punished for the actions of others … all I did was take video of what I saw to be an excessive use of force. At most they could have asked me to leave the property.
Private property or not…it was a harmless act on their part that resulted in physical harm. The guards and police were in the wrong.
mepsipax´s last blog ..Fuck you Hollywood
James, you can be punished for the actions of others under conspiracy laws – if I were that prosecutor, I would have filed charges against you. Just because you hold a camera does not been you are not culpable. Read up on the law there duder. Luckily, its not a crime to resist a citizen’s arrest – otherwise it would have been R&O charges for you.
“Garbage”?
Well John, they are after all 9-11 Truthers, don’t expect them to be rational!
I agree with you James, not on the 9-11 conspiracy theories, but on the fact that you shouldn’t have had false assault charges filed against you for exercising your 1st Amendment rights. On the 9-11 front, this Popular Mechanics article debunks all the most popular conspiracy theories.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/news/1227842
Where’d you go to law school?
What about having someone arrested for assault and then admitting under oath that you lied? Is that a crime?
Thanks Burlyman. I’ll reference it the next time some “truther” spews their absurdity.
Filing a false report, yes, that’s a crime. Guaranteed he won’t see any charges for it though.
Rance´s last blog ..BinaryGravy: Ahh, the joys of married life… http://twitpic.com/1kpf07
Frankly, I don’t care about the false reports as it pertains to your whining James Lane. You (in concert with some “activists”, aka litterbugs) waltz into a mall and throw paper everywhere – your cohorting activists toss the paper, you filmed it. Don’t go and act like some innocent bystander. You should have the shit kicked out of you – better punishment than some stupid fine you would had received had there been some proper investigation. You may think you’re doing all good by protesting and being an “activist,” but you’re just some stupid loser with a camera picking fights. In your case, I think its a good trade off – beat the shit out of you now and waste a conviction, or do a bunch of leg work for you to pay a fine later.
Had you not known the activists – that would change EVERYTHING. I suggest you read up on that photographer from CA that is being charge for filming graffiti artists – I liked the comment that references the mob. check that out.
“Frankly, I don’t care about the false reports as it pertains to your whining James Lane.”
Then why the hell should anybody care about what you’ve got to say?
Dude I would be more pissed off at this guys then the guards, throwing fake money on black friday. Who’s bright idea was it?
Yeah, RP, throwing around fake money is really a nasty thing to be doing alright! Geeze, next thing you know they’ll be using the urinal at McDonald and not flushing!!
Ewwww… The thought of that makes me cringe!
Rance´s last blog ..BinaryGravy: Ahh, the joys of married life… http://twitpic.com/1kpf07
Yeah it would hadn’t been a problem any other day, but its Black Friday. People are fucking nuts on Black Friday.
PEOPLE actually die on Black Friday and tossing money fake or not is just dumb.
Dumb is one thing, criminal offense is another.
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