Farmington Police released bodycam video of Chase Allan’s fatal shooting

Allan, 25, was killed on March 1 after five Farmington police officers opened fire during a traffic stop.

Farmington Police will this afternoon publicly release body camera footage of the five officers who fatally shot Chase Allan on March 1, officials announced Wednesday.

Allan, 25, was pulled over in the Farmington Post Office car park after an officer noticed an illegal number plate on the back of his car. At the time, it was considered a routine traffic stop, Farmington Police Chief Eric Johnsen said.

Once stopped, Allan refused to get out of his car and “asserted his independence from the laws of the country,” Farmington Police said. The first officer then called for backup and four other officers responded. As they attempted to remove Allan from the car, an officer yelled that Allan had a gun and the five officers opened fire.

According to police, a handgun was found on the floor of Allan’s car and a holster on his hip was empty, although it’s unclear if Allan ever brandished the gun or opened fire. He was taken to a hospital where he died.

In a statement released last week, Allan’s family questioned the police report that the stop was routine. They claimed, without citing the source of their information, that the officer who pulled Allan over “called several other officers to the crime scene a few blocks before the stop.”

Police have not described the illegitimate license plate number that prompted the first officer to stop Allan. But news footage shows Allan’s vehicle carried a placard that read: well-known symbol “sovereign citizen”. – Part of a flag, with blue stars and red and white stripes – along with the words “Utah, American State Citizen” and “Notice, Private Automobile Not For Hire”.

It is unclear whether the officer recognized the symbol on the poster. It’s also unclear if Allan explicitly considered himself part of the “sovereign citizen” movement, but the poster has spotlighted the loose network of extremists who oppose government and law enforcement. The FBI considers sovereign citizens a domestic terrorist movement and notes that supporters routinely put false license plates on vehicles.

The statement from Allan’s family, who have accused police of his “brutal murder,” said Allan “spent the last few years studying law and was a patriot who did whatever it took to defend the freedom and liberty of the people in his community.” “. She did not name the sovereign citizens’ movement.

If Allan has been linked to the sovereign citizens’ movement, that’s not why officials fired, Johnsen told The Salt Lake Tribune on Monday.

The March 1 shooting was the fourth police shooting in Utah this year, according to a database maintained by The Salt Lake Tribune. The five officers who opened fire on Allan have been placed on administrative leave pending the ongoing investigation.

— This is an evolving story. Check for updates again.