CT police body cam footage shows confrontation with NY YouTuber

        

MIDDLETOWN : Newly released body cam footage provides more insight into the July confrontation between a Connecticut state police sergeant and a New York YouTuber.

The YouTuber, SeanPaul Reyes, of Long Island Audit, captured part of the incident on his cellphone, including the moment the officer, Sgt. Bryan Fahey, appeared to grab Reyes by the shirt.

Reyes claims in the video he went to the Middletown state police headquarters on July 23 to file a complaint after he was detained and handcuffed earlier in the day inside Bradley International Airport, where footage showed he refused to show police his ID when they asked why he was filming.

Reyes, who has had other run-ins with police and officials in Waterbury and Danbury, is part of a national trend of activists and so-called “auditors” who attempt to film in public and government buildings. Auditors then film the reaction of police or officials who attempt to stop them. Other videos on Reyes’ channel include him confronting officials in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York over his right to film inside government buildings.

The body camera footage released by state police as part of a Freedom of Information Act request by Hearst Connecticut Media follows much of what is shown in an edited video of the encounter Reyes posted to his channel on July 25. The video posted by Reyes cuts out after Fahey steps forward and tells him, “we’re gonna have a problem.” Reyes claims his phone was broken during the confrontation, but he was able to retrieve the video from it.

State police have launched an internal affairs investigation into Fahey and Trooper Mathew Costello, who also met with Reyes outside the state police headquarters.

The video from Costello’s body cam released by state police begins inside the state police headquarters. Audio cuts in as Costello and Fahey meet with Reyes, who is filming on his phone, outside the entrance to the building.

Reyes can be heard explaining to Fahey that he is an “independent journalist” working on a story as Costello assists other people waiting to enter the police headquarters. Fahey directs Reyes to the state police office in Meriden where he can lodge an in-person internal affairs complaint against officers in the Bradley incident. But Reyes continued to stand outside the entrance filming on his cellphone.

“So you’re going to stand here with your cellphone?” Fahey asks.

“I thought you were busy,” Reyes responds.

“I am — I am busy,” Fahey says.

“So you should get to work,” Reyes says.

“I should get to work? Is that what you’re telling me?” Fahey replies, stepping forward as Costello says “sarge — sarge.”

Reyes steps backward as Costello and Fahey advance toward him, his phone disappearing from view. His hand reappears empty, and it’s unclear from the video whether it was knocked or dropped from his hand.

Costello takes out a pair of handcuffs and can be heard telling Reyes he is “interfering.”

“This is private property, you’re not going to videotape me and have an attitude with me,” Fahey tells Reyes, gripping him by the front of his shirt as the New York man tells him to get off of him and that he’s trying to make a complaint.

“I’m not the one, I gave you your outlet,” Fahey tells him, pointing at a complaint form still clutched in Reyes’ hand. “You wanted to stand there and hold your cellphone in my face is what you wanted to do. Take your cellphone and go and make your complaint,” he says before turning and walking away.

Reyes asks to retrieve his phone, but is directed to stay where he is while another officer gets it.

“What’s wrong with you guys, man?” Reyes asks Costello as Fahey walks away. Costello asks him where his car is parked.

 “I’m going, I’m going,” Reyes says

“... Why do you need to know where my car’s at? You were about to arrest me man, for real?”

In the video, Costello says police were going to detain him while giving Reyes his name and badge number.

The video ends with the officers following Reyes across the lawn to his car.

State police have also released body camera footage from when Reyes was detained at Bradley, and said an internal affairs investigation into the officer involved in that incident has been closed.

Hearst Connecticut Media has filed Freedom of Information Act requests for both internal affairs reports.

Records show Reyes has cases pending for arrests by Waterbury and Danbury police on May 19 and July 17, respectively. He was charged with first-degree criminal trespass in both cities, along with additional offenses in Danbury. He is due in court Dec. 8 in the Waterbury case, while the Danbury case is on the trial list waiting to be scheduled, according to the online court system. In a video on his channel, Reyes said he asked to be placed on a jury trial waiting list, rather than a list for a bench trial.

The trespassing charges in Danbury stem from a July 15 incident at city hall. Later that month, Reyes led a protest at city hall where he and supporters — some of whom said they were from out of state — entered and began filming.

Reyes has also filed a lawsuit against the city and four police officers who responded after he began filming in the library in a video that has been widely shared online.

One of the officers who responded was heard saying on body cam footage Reyes “would be dead” had the incident occurred years ago. That officer was later suspended for eight days while the other officers received reprimands ranging from a lesser suspension to training and counseling.

 

Source thehour