Viral YouTube Video of Crazy AZ Cop

A lot of times motorcycle riders don’t take their off helmets when heading into a store for a quick snack. I personally have done this many times. Some helmets are not easy to get off and back on, especially if you have some headphones in or if you wear glasses or especially both. If you are just making a quick stop and you take your helmet off you have to carry it then or get a cart to be able to shop.

I am sure when a motorcycle rider named Freedom Christopher Pfaendler jumped off his bike for a quick stop at the local Walmart in Sajuarita, Arizona, (just south of Tucson) it never occurred to him that not taking off his helmet first would be a problem.

On that fateful day on August 6, 2019, a now viral YouTube video shows the 22 year old man shopping, minding his own business, and walking the aisles in the store. At one point a manager approaches the rider from the back, out of his sight, and says something to him. He didn’t hear because he was listening to music on headphones inside the helmet.

The manager thought he was being ignored and called police on the rider. After the rider paid for his purchases without incident he was seen harmlessly arranging his items on a bench at the front of the store when he was approached by the local police.

What should have been an easy case of nothing to see here turned into a horrible display of police escalation, overreach and overreacting to a totally harmless situation and making something out of nothing.

I hate the movement to defund police and some peoples’ growing distrust of the police. I support the thin blue line which protects polite society from evil, but a few bad apples who abuse their authority are terribly disturbing and give the 99.9% of good cops a bad name.

Such are the  Sajuarita Barney Fife type officers who showed up at the Walmart to deal with a totally harmless situation brought on by an overzealous Walmart manager who felt his authority disrespected.  If you watch the YouTube video of this incident prepare to have your blood boil at the way these officers created a huge mountain out of a mole hill.

Walmart manager, Joe Morris, repeatedly lied to the officers and to Pfaendler as to what happened and the video clearly shows these lies. He is the first one who escalated nothing into a big deal, but then the perfect storm of an egomaniac cop named John George took it to a whole other ridiculous level.

Despite the fact that the young man remained respectful, self controlled, and compliant, Officer  George said, “You are an argumentative person and I am not the person you want to argue with…You need to listen to learn, not listen to reply. You need to turn that little switch off in your brain and run your mouth and argue every time somebody tells you something. You can go to jail and not go to work so what is the choice you are going to make hardhead?… So pull your head out of your a** and arguing every time somebody tells you something…You keep wanting to argue with me. I’m not the guy you want to argue with…Stop talking.”

“This video contains surveillance footage from the Sahuarita Walmart and a Sahuarita Police Department officer’s body-worn camera. It shows Freedom Christopher Pfaendler from the time of his arrival to Walmart on the morning of Aug. 6, 2019, to his arrest. The first 8 minutes are footage of him shopping and the rest are of his interaction with SPD up to his arrest and search. This video was edited to remove a section of time when the SPD officer turned off his body-camera’s audio and the time of Pfaendler’s transport from Walmart.” www.uglyjudge.com

At no time was the victim noncomplaint or disrespectful to the manager or the police, no matter how crazy they got. His restraint was truly amazing.

The end result was Pfaendler being charged with disorderly conduct and hauled off in cuffs and booked into the Pima County Jail where he spent 17 hours. Charges were ultimately dropped and lawsuits against all parties who went after Pfaendler are ongoing.

This wasn’t the only time Officer John George was abusive and from everything I was able to ascertain has been let go by the Sajuarita police force. I hope this is true and that he is never again able to carry a badge and a gun.

Most police officers are wonderful, but a few who got depantsed, had their lunch money stolen, and got swirlies in grade school grew up and got a gun and a badge to wreak havoc and soothe their damaged self esteem and they need to be weeded out.

“Pfaendler’s lawsuit claimed he was illegally searched, falsely arrested, maliciously prosecuted by being detained for 17 hours, and was defamed when the department public information officer talked with media after the incident.”  www.gvnews.com

I am not alone in my disgust of the Sajuarita Walmart debacle. Several motorcycle enthusiast sites show equal disdain for the Walmart manager and the crazy cop.

“This poor guy is a bit clueless. But he was polite, never raised his voice, never showed any sign of being upset at the police, never got rude or snarky (which is where I probably would have made a bad mistake). He was trying to explain himself while an officer repeatedly interrupted him and dressed him down for talking. In fact, two officers and the store manager were ganging up on him. That’s how mothers yell at their 12 year-olds; it’s no way for a cop to treat a citizen. And when it was all said and done, the poor guy had legally purchased a sandwich, a ballpoint pen, and 2 peaches, and THEN they arrest him?” www.twtex.com

“Motorcycle guy is answering all the police questions about where he’s going, what he bought, shows receipts, he explains he just leaves his helmet on because it’s a tiny bit quicker, and that he’s made short shopping trips elsewhere with helmet on and no issues.”

“Cop then gets in his face tells him ‘you need to pull your head out of your a**’ and starts talking about all these shooting rampages going on, and goes on a tirade barking orders, yelling at him to shut up, illegally search him, and arrest him for being quiet after he stopped talking like the told him to.  Officers continue with Helmet = you are an active shooter!!!11!!” www.az15.com

The craziest thing that happened was the bad cop kept telling the biker kid to shut up every time he tried to answer a question so he finally did zip his lips shut and politely did what the officer said which enraged him even more! The poor guy truly couldn’t win.

The Walmart originally banned Pfaendler from ever shopping at any Walmart for life!  I’ll tell you what- if it had been me, they wouldn’t have had to ban me. I’d never darken their doors again.

Watch the video and decide for yourself.