Cop Pepper Sprays Man Who Gave Him The Finger [Video]

A man perhaps testing the boundaries of the U.S. Constitution got a face full of pepper spray after flipping the bird to the first cop he saw in an upstate New York city.

The officer involved is now on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

Prompted by a tip, Adam Rupeka, who is apparently affiliated with the watchdog group CopBlock.org, took a drive to Saratoga Springs to investigate what he deemed was local police corruption and abuse there. Rupeka, 35, outfitted his car with two cameras to record what happened. See embedded footage below.

A cop pulled Rupeka over after he gave the passing officer the finger in the May 16 incident in which the motorist claims he is exercising his freedom of speech rights under the First Amendment.

The deployment of pepper spray resulted from an immediate impasse between Rupeka and the officer. Rupeka wouldn’t produce his license and registration as requested by the officer without knowing why he was stopped while the officer wanted the documentation first before disclosing what law Rupeka allegedly broke. See embedded videos below.

In the video, the officer tells the motorist to step out of the vehicle because he is being charged with disorderly conduct. Rupeka then gets hit with the pepper spray.

“I’m gong to sue the sh*t out of you guys,” an obviously distressed Rupeka tells the cop.

He wound up getting charged with obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest rather than disorderly conduct, however. Cops also issued him a ticket for an obstructed view. Rupeka pleaded not guilty yesterday and is due back in court on June 4. The police returned the video cameras to Rupeka on Tuesday after initially confiscating them.

Rupeka has already hired a law firm to sue the Saratoga Springs Police Department, according to WNYT, News Channel 13 in Albany. In addition to treatment at a local emergency room, Rupeka allegedly had to spend $153 to get his car out of the impound lot.

Near the end of the video, the motorist tells the cop that the Supreme Court has ruled that giving a law enforcement officer the middle finger does not constitute disorderly conduct. Rupeka may be actually referring to a 2013 case decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (which has jurisdiction over New York) which determined that flipping the bird “is not the basis for a reasonable suspicion of a traffic violation or impending criminal activity.”

On the CopBlock website, Rupeka insists that he was placed in the back seat of the cruiser with the windows rolled up despite telling the officer he was having trouble breathing. Apparently there was no pepper spray neutralizing agent in the squad car either.

“Once at the police station I am still having issues breathing so I stand up and try to breathe easier and 2 officers proceed to choke, knee, kick, and punch me because I was standing,” Rupeka added.

In response to the disputed traffic stop, the Saratoga Springs police chief released a statement.

“…There is a pending criminal case concerning the actions of Mr. Rupeka and the internal investigation concerning the actions of the officer involved is ongoing. While I understand the concerns that people may have regarding what is depicted on the video, a thorough investigation of the entire incident may take some time. As with all investigations conducted by this Department, we will proceed with this investigation in a deliberate but timely manner, keeping the needs of those involved in this incident as well as the public interest in mind. Officer Nathan Baker has already been placed on and will remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of the internal investigation. We will make every effort to keep the public informed to the extent that we are legally able to do so. I believe that it is more important to come to a correct, rather than a rushed resolution to this matter.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=11&v=eIpNK5-w81M

On its website, CopBlock explains that it “is committed to highlighting the double standard often granted to those in uniforms and with badges. We do this by raising awareness and providing support to victims of police abuse and other related institutional injustice.”

[image via YouTube]