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Charges dismissed in Arizona Iced Tea arrest outside Fayetteville liquor store

Hatuey

Hatuey

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Charges dismissed in Arizona Iced Tea arrest outside Fayetteville liquor store - Fayetteville Observer: Local News

Charges were dismissed Thursday against a man whose confrontation with an ABC officer outside a Fayetteville liquor store went viral on YouTube nearly two years ago and became known as the Arizona iced tea case.

Christopher Lamont Beatty, 28, of New York, was charged with trespassing and resisting a public officer after the incident at the ABC store on Morganton Road on April 27, 2013. Beatty refused to give the officer, who approached him in the parking lot, his can of Arizona brand iced tea.

On Thursday, Cumberland County District Court Judge Lou Olivera agreed with defense lawyer Allen Rogers' motion to dismiss the case based on a lack of reasonable suspicion for a stop.
Olivera ruled the stop was unconstitutional, and therefore, all evidence gathered from the stop was inadmissible. He referred to the legal metaphor "fruit of the poisonous tree," which is used to describe evidence obtained illegally according to law.
"I'm astounded this is finally over," said Beatty, a former staff sergeant with Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division.
The case had been repeatedly delayed over the last 18 months.
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Alright, this was unconstitutional... now what? Can we get to the bottom of why a guy dressed in normal clothes can arrest you just by saying he is a cop? If he had punched this guy out, would he have been defending himself or assaulting an officer? Is saying that he's an officer all it takes for someone to simply do as he says?
 
Hatuey said:
Charges dismissed in Arizona Iced Tea arrest outside Fayetteville liquor store - Fayetteville Observer: Local News



Alright, this was unconstitutional... now what? Can we get to the bottom of why a guy dressed in normal clothes can arrest you just by saying he is a cop? If he had punched this guy out, would he have been defending himself or assaulting an officer? Is saying that he's an officer all it takes for someone to simply do as he says?
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wow just watched the video and the stop and search was complete crap . . .. . . .
 
Agreed, this was a garbage arrest. The entire confrontation was avoidable, "trespassing and resisting a public officer" is absurd. Now that the criminal case has been dismissed, I suspect a lawsuit against the officer is on the way.
 
Interesting they call it 'iced' tea. Round here it's ice tea.

Back to the topic, most issues with cops can be avoided by simple cooperation and compliance.
 
OrphanSlug said:
Agreed, this was a garbage arrest. The entire confrontation was avoidable, "trespassing and resisting a public officer" is absurd. Now that the criminal case has been dismissed, I suspect a lawsuit against the officer is on the way.
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Thats possible, theres a case for it but I if it was me I would just let it go unless defending myself racked up a bunch of bills then Id definitely make them pay for those bills.
 
WCH said:
Interesting they call it 'iced' tea. Round here it's ice tea.

Back to the topic, most issues with cops can be avoided by simple cooperation and compliance.
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Assuming the officer acts within similar confines. That was not the case here, even if the guy turned over the can of ice tea to the officer there is little suggestion the officer would have ended the confrontation. You should not have to "cooperate and comply" with an officer in the obvious wrong, it begs for the officer to continue intent to criminalize.
 
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WCH said:
Interesting they call it 'iced' tea. Round here it's ice tea.
...
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Iced tea is part of the Brand name.

AriZona iced tea
 
OrphanSlug said:
Assuming the officer acts within similar confines. That was not the case here, even if the guy turned over the can of ice tea to the officer there is little suggestion the officer would have ended the confrontation. You should not have to "cooperate and comply" with an officer in the obvious wrong, it begs for the officer to continue intent to criminalize.
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Guess we'll never know.

I'm somewhat suspect of the filming of the event. It seemed rather staged.
 
WCH said:
Guess we'll never know.

I'm somewhat suspect of the filming of the event. It seemed rather staged.
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Well , perhaps knowing the AKA of the man who was arrested might help clear up why a passerby was filming the event.

The man arrested was "Christopher Beatty, who also goes by his hip-hop moniker, Xstrav (short for Xtravagant)." He was drinking an Arizona Iced Tea with his friend Tino Brown in the parking lot of a Fayetteville liquor store.

Info from the following article which has a video of the incident.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/08/christopher-beatty-arrest-iced-tea_n_3232925.html
 
WCH said:
Guess we'll never know.

I'm somewhat suspect of the filming of the event. It seemed rather staged.
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Correct, we cannot discount the behavior of the guy shooting the video. I simply do not like the idea of officers looking to criminalize in any means plausible in place of admitting there was no justification for the confrontation in the first place.
 
minnie616 said:
Well , perhaps knowing the AKA of the man who was arrested might help clear up why a passerby was filming the event.

The man arrested was "Christopher Beatty, who also goes by his hip-hop moniker, Xstrav (short for Xtravagant)." He was drinking an Arizona Iced Tea with his friend Tino Brown in the parking lot of a Fayetteville liquor store.

Info from the following article which has a video of the incident.

Christopher Beatty, AKA Xstrav, Arrested For Trespassing While Drinking Arizona Ice Tea (VIDEO)
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Why does it matter what reason he was there for? Is it illegal to drink ice tea in front of a liquor store while being filmed? I can't have a Pepsi on a parking lot if I so wish with my cellphone out? The reason this case was thrown out was that the cop had zero reason to detain this man based on the available evidence and then he made up a trespassing charge.
 
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WCH said:
Interesting they call it 'iced' tea. Round here it's ice tea.

Back to the topic, most issues with cops can be avoided by simple cooperation and compliance.
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Why? Especially if the officer is not honoring your constitutional rights? Don't we as citizens have the right to refuse the actions of an officer of the state if the officer doesn't comply with the letter of law?
 
I am hoping the police apologists see this one. My bet, they won't show....


North carolina recognizes CCW's from out of state. If some dude without a badge tried to put me in handcuffs he'd be in a world of hurt with a bullet in his chest.



here's the video if it's not linked:


 
Hatuey said:
Why does it matter what reason he was there for? Is it illegal to drink ice tea in front of a liquor store while being filmed? I can't have a Pepsi on a parking lot if I so wish with my cellphone out? The reason this case was thrown out was that the cop had zero reason to detain this man based on the available evidence and then he made up a trespassing charge.
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I do not disagree.
I was pointing out that perhaps the person shooting the video recognized the guy drinking the ice tea as the rapper and was already videotaping the chance encounter when the plain clothes officer started interrogating the rapper because he ( the officer ) thought Beatty was holding the can in a "suspicious manner" .

I also believe the officer was way out line.
 
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minnie616 said:
I do not disagree.
I was pointing out that perhaps the person shooting the video recognized the guy drinking the ice tea as the rapper and was already videotaping the chance encounter when the plain clothes officer started interrogating the rapper because he ( the officer ) thought Betty was holding the can in a "suspicious manner" .

I also believe the officer was way out line.
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How does one hold a can of iced tea in a "suspicious manner"? lol
 
WCH said:
Interesting they call it 'iced' tea. Round here it's ice tea.

Back to the topic, most issues with cops can be avoided by simple cooperation and compliance.
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Right, if we all just do what the police state tells us we'll be fine. :roll:
 
WCH said:
Interesting they call it 'iced' tea. Round here it's ice tea.

Back to the topic, most issues with cops can be avoided by simple cooperation and compliance.
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and here we go.... lol


1. he had no badge, if it was me, and I wasn't carrying at the time, I'd choke his ass out.

2. Why is it put on the citizen to be the professional, shouldn't the police have thicker skin to deal with the public than the public should have dealing with the police?


This cop was out of his gourd, no badge, a pair of handcuffs, are you suggesting we should comply with strangers claiming to be cops and let them handcuff you?


Would you reccommend this tactic for women late at night in parking lots?
 
Maybe this cop gets drunk off vanilla milkshakes Arizona Teas and assumed they are alcoholic beverages? :lol:
 
I'm waiting for the video or report about the guy who was arrested that shows him to be a criminal... thus validating the cops actions.
 
See...these are the kinds of incidents that should be brought forward. Obvious abuse by a cop. Should cost him his job at least and maybe a lot worse.
 
ReverendHellh0und said:
How does one hold a can of iced tea in a "suspicious manner"? lol
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minnie616 said:
LOL. I would like to know that too.
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650x366

Defense counsel Don West holds the Arizona iced tea can that Trayvon Martin was carrying the night he was shot during testimony in the George Zimmerman trial in Seminole circuit court, in Sanford

Good question :coffeepap
 
Hatuey said:
Charges dismissed in Arizona Iced Tea arrest outside Fayetteville liquor store - Fayetteville Observer: Local News



Alright, this was unconstitutional... now what? Can we get to the bottom of why a guy dressed in normal clothes can arrest you just by saying he is a cop? If he had punched this guy out, would he have been defending himself or assaulting an officer? Is saying that he's an officer all it takes for someone to simply do as he says?
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Libero told the judge he was suspicious from the way Beatty was carrying the can.
Charge, carrying a can in a suspicious manner- My oh my.
From the link
"There was absolutely nothing but Officer Libero said he held the can in a suspicious manner," Rogers said.
 
OrphanSlug said:
Correct, we cannot discount the behavior of the guy shooting the video. I simply do not like the idea of officers looking to criminalize in any means plausible in place of admitting there was no justification for the confrontation in the first place.
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There are laws against consuming alcohol of any sort in the parking lot of a place that sells alcohol. Since this cop was an alcohol enflrcement officer, he had the right to ask.

Secondly he gave the perp an opportunity to leave and he refused. This goes directly back to what I first stated

Cooperation and compliance ....it's served me well for 50 + years.
 
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