As the video begins, an unidentified young black man is seen arguing with a police officer. When the man asks the police officer the reason for the stop, she is unable to articulate one and instead calls for backup.
The alleged infraction the officer was attempting to ticket the man for was riding on the sidewalk. According to the Merced City Municipal Code Section 10.44.040, bicycles are prohibited on the sidewalks from "V" Street to "G" Street on Main Street. Whether or not this man was on one of those sidewalks is not revealed in the video.
While a citation for riding on the sidewalk is questionable given certain circumstances, under the law, the man on the bike should have presented his ID as he had technically been suspected of committing a crime.
As the man tries to ride away, however, the small female officer attempts to take down the man twice her size. The man resists but without violence.
As he records, the man filming tries to calm down the cyclist and tells him not to resist. Just as the cyclist listens to the man filming and puts his hands behind his back to be placed in handcuffs, a motorcycle officer comes storming in and grabs his throat.
Up until this point, the man on the bike had been calming down. However, after being attacked while he was complying, he was set off once again. Still, he remained non-violent.
As the man filming documents the situation, he apparently got too close to the officer, who then told him to back up. He immediately and without question backed up and remained completely obedient and polite. However, just as he backs up, another cop arriving on the scene tackles the man filming.
According to the video uploader, the man filming was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for resisting, delaying, or disrupting a public officer.
The Free Thought Project reached out to the Merced police department but have yet to receive a response.
Don't hold your cell phone in front of you when videoing police, so that they see your videoing. Doing such is sheer idiocy!
Instead, turn 90 degrees from the action, and hold your cell phone to your ear, as though you are on a call. Sneak a quick peek at your phone, from time to time.
It takes some practice to get this technique right. You have to hold your phone in such a way that your hand doesn't block the camera lens.