The above video and the following content included in this post were shared with the CopBlock Network, via a Facebook post by Northwest Indiana CopBlock. (See the post embedded below.) The incident depicted in the video originally took place on August 15, 2015.
If you wish to share your own police related content such as videos, a description of an incident involving police misconduct or abuse, etc. with the CopBlock Network, you can do so using the CopBlock.org Submissions Page.
Initially, the video uploaded to the NWI CopBlock YouTube channel shows a man from Lake Station (IN), being extorted by a group of local Road Pirates, including Officer Andres Verduzco. (Based on the conversation in the video, there are three Revenue Generators in total, although two are not identified in the video.) The traffic stop apparently takes place within the driver’s own driveway.
The man being forced to pay a ransom for tailgating grows impatient with the amount of time that is being taken to write the citation and questions Officer Verduzco about why it has taken so long to do so. He also mentions a U.S. Supreme Court ruling which found that police could only detain people for a “reasonable amount of time” to issue a traffic ticket.
Verduzco reacts in a hostile manner to having been questioned. First he states that he could have written him three tickets, but only extorted money from him twice. Then (once the Supreme Court ruling is mentioned) Verduzco begins inquiring about where the driver went to law school, implying that you have to be a lawyer in order to know the basic laws (that many police in fact do not know). Officer Verduzco finally states that the driver’s attitude sucks and tells him to “go on your way” as he walks back to his own car.
Shortly after, although it’s not shown on the video, the driver then flips off the cops. In response to that, Verduzco returns to the car, accosts the driver, and then illegally arrests him for a Constitutionally protected act of Free Speech. The false charges used to make the arrest consisted of “harassment” (ironically) and “disorderly conduct.” Officer Verduzco, at least on the video, never says what college he got his law degree at, but needless to say both charges were eventually dropped.
In addition to assaulting and kidnapping this driver during the video, Officer Verduzco purportedly attempted to delete the video and made verbal threats that there “would be problems” if the video got released.
Ofc. Verduzco is, of course, not expected to be punished in any way for his actions and threats against a citizen by the Good Cops working at the Lake Station Police Department. At best, the taxpayers will be extorted out of money to pay for his illegal acts in a legal settlement.
Via the description posted along with the video on YouTube:
Lake Station Police employees stop and detain an area man for routine revenue generation and detain him for over twenty minutes. After showing complete disregard for the citizen’s time the citizen expressed his grievance with a “one finger salute”. Police employee andres verduzco, whose feelings were hurt by the citizen violated the citizen’s rights by arresting him on his property on trumped up charges based on a false report.
Andres needs to put down the baby bottle and put on his big boy pants. Some people are going to say things he does not like, and they will hurt his hurt. That does not mean that he gets to abuse his claim of authority and kidnap and cage someone, fabricate false charges, and lie on the report.
Kelly is a lifelong resident of Las Vegas, who’s been very active in local grassroots activism, as well as on a national level during his extensive travels. He’s also the founder/main contributor of Nevada Cop Block, served as editor/contributor at CopBlock.org and designed the Official Cop Block Press Passes.
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