A group of community activists are calling for action over what they say was an unlawful arrest in Hillsborough County, but the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) is painting a different picture with the release of the full one-hour body camera video of the incident.
It started with a traffic stop on August 29 for Pastor Carl Soto, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter Restoration, Inc.
“I’m going to give you about .2 seconds to explain to me what you pulled me over for because I have not committed any traffic violations,” said Soto in body camera video provided by the Sheriff’s Office.
“The tag. You can’t have that design,” the deputy replied.
A criminal report affidavit said the deputy saw the car with a Florida joker tag, which it states isn’t an approved tag and violates Florida statute.
HCSO The body camera video shows the deputy repeatedly asking for Soto’s license and later pull out a taser.
The deputy can be seen in the video directing Soto to get out of the car, and later after being handcuffed, Soto tells the deputy he recently had surgery. The footage shows the deputy place Soto under arrest.