Bay Area civil rights activist claims rough arrest, HCSO responds
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A Bay Area civil rights activist is claiming police brutality after his arrest was captured on a Hillsborough County deputy's bodycam. Carl Soto held a press conference on Friday, with Hillsborough deputies calling one immediately after, saying the arresting deputy was found to not have violated any policies. It all started over a relatively minor traffic violation. The deputy pulled him over after noticing the graphic of a comic book character in the middle of the plate, instead of any official DMV Florida logos or vanity plates. So he pulled him over, and it took only seconds for things to go haywire.
"I am going to give you about point-two seconds to explain what you pulled me over for," Soto told the deputy, "because I have not committed any traffic violations. " After denying the tag is illegal, Soto became even more agitated. "Get your watch commander out here now," he said. "Let me call your sheriff. " The deputy cites the Florida statute that he found Soto to be in violation of, and orders him out of the car.
He asks for his license a total of 20 times, opening his door amidst a flurry of arguing back and forth. "You have no lawful reason to open this door," Soto said as he held up his license. "You will not take it. " That's when the deputy takes his taser out.