Front Page  »  

Video shows Cal Poly police pinning man during disputed arrest

March 13, 2017

Many Cal Poly students are enraged over footage showing university police pinning a 21-year-old man to the ground outside a San Luis Obispo liquor store. Friends of the suspect allege an undercover officer placed him in a chokehold and tackled him because the man told the policeman to “fuck off.”

The incident took place Friday night outside a liquor store on Foothill Boulevard. Initial reports indicate, at the time, university police officers were conducting a sting or an operation related to underage drinking.

Julian Trevizo, a friend of the suspect, witnessed the incident and videotaped the arrest, beginning at the moment police officers were pinning his friend, Aidan Dugan-Colton, 21.

Trevizo stated in a Facebook post that his group of friends purchased beer at a liquor store. After buying his own beer, Trevizo put the bottles in his jacket pockets, prompting undercover officer to suspect a theft was in progress.

“An undercover cop accused us of shoplifting, asked for our receipts and IDs and detained us,” Trevizo wrote. “They then threatened to cite us because we had people in the group who were 20, despite the fact that they did not purchase alcohol or exit the building with bottles in their possession.

“Our friend started calling bullshit and told them how not okay their actions were. Another individual came up and said, ‘Watch your fucking language. Watch your fucking attitude.’ Friend responded, ‘Fuck you, don’t touch me’ and put his arm up in defense. Right after this, the officer put him in an illegal chokehold and brought him to the ground, scraping his face and arms.”

The officer did not identify himself as a policeman until after tackling Dugan-Culton, Trevizo wrote.

Throughout the video, individuals are heard accusing police of tackling Dugan-Culton and arresting him merely because he uttered foul language at the plainclothes officers.

“I didn’t touch you. I said fuck you. And then you pushed me and you fucking tackled me to the ground,” Dugan-Culton said.

The officer disagreed, claiming Dugan-Culton shoved him.

“I didn’t push. I have it on camera,” the officer is heard saying during Trevizo’s recording.

Cal Poly spokesman Matt Lazier told the Tribune that officers needed to safely subdue Dugan-Culton after he shoved one of them and failed to comply with their directions. Lazier also said the officers identified themselves as police prior to the physical altercation.

Officers eventually booked Dugan-Culton into the San Luis Obispo County Jail. He is no longer in custody.

According to Trevizo, police charged Dugan-Culton with assaulting an officer and set his bail at $20,000. Trevizo also alleged officers refused to read Dugan-Culton his Miranda rights during the arrest.

Dugan-Culton reportedly suffered a bloody nose during the altercation. Before he was taken to jail, a fire truck arrived at the scene.

The arrival of the fire truck prompted screams about wasted tax dollars.


Loading...
Subjects:                 
Related:


47 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

This is another story that is a symptom of our times. People are being taught that they can do anything they want and no one is allowed to intrude on their rights, the right to be obnoxious, the right to be disrespectful, the right to be drunk, the right to…. I wish this child’s parents had taught this waste of humanity some respect. The officer may have been inappropriate, but in the current era where college students are encouragede to fight against all authority I understand the police’s attitude.


0

Cal Poly students regularly vomit on my lawn–occupy my parking place so I cannot come home and park after I get off work late at night–and are more than happy to bicker and argue under the window of my residence well past 3am when I have changes shifts and have to get up at 5am. There is no concern that there might be people inside the residence they party outside of that might not also be quarreling drunks, but that might have jobs and need sleep, and it only matters when Cal Poly students need sleep. Cal Poly students blast through the night and think they own every space that exists in this town. No one else exists but them and their rights….and that literally is how it is.


0

We used to have the same issues when we lived on the Foothill side of town.


Pissing on our front law under my 2 year olds window, people banging on our door thinking that was where the party is, boyfriend yelling at girlfriend at 3 AM, cups and bottles on our lawn.


We tried to be nice, then calling the landlord, then police, then dual pained windows, a fence.. finally we got smart and moved.


0

My father taught me that when confronted by a police officer you show your hands, say yes sir and no sir.


This entitled brat says FU, even when he is in cuffs.


Non story.


0

That might have been back in the day when cops actually conducted themselves in an upright manner. Today too many are ill-educated thugs whose only ambition seems to be that of getting over on others.


0

Actually the real cops are far more professional then they have ever been. When I was growing up in my small jerk water town, the cops were frustrated ex jocks and that badge was permission to give u an ass beating.


I must admit i don’t know the training or background of calpoly police, however, In any interaction with law enforcement, When someone doesn’t comply like the kid in the video, they get forced to comply. It’s pretty easy to understand.


0

The punks around here with their 1/8″ haircuts, $400.00 sunglasses and grimaces would never cut it with an agency like the NYPD or the LAPD.


0

Bullies with badges. Hired thugs. The most corrupt police department is the USA. Spread the word and boycott tourism in SLO. That’s the only way to change this town.


0

From the video, it doesn’t seem that officer identifies himself until after he tackles the accused. If a random man starts falsely accusing you of a crime and asks for your receipt and ID in a store, you are well within your rights to tell them leave you alone. That is not a crime. If this random man subsequently tackles you to the ground, he is guilty of battery. Unless the random man had previously identified himself as an undercover officer (both verbally and by showing his badge) or the accused started the physical altercation, the officer has no leg to stand on here. If the accused’s story is true, the DA should drop all charges and hope there isn’t more video corroborating the accused’s story, otherwise the department will be facing a lawsuit.


This seems like quite an overreaction by the officer. Instead of recognizing the situation was escalating because he had not identified himself, it seems either he forgot he was in plain clothes or he got excited and jumped at the opportunity to make an arrest during an otherwise uninteresting “sting” operation. Perhaps more training in deescalation is in order for University PD. This young man had not committed a crime and was obviously not a threat. The officer created the entire situation by failing to communicate and should be held accountable for the outcome. An outcome, which unless video evidence or witness testimony proves otherwise, seems to be the officer battering a citizen who had not committed a crime.


0

CAL POLY police should not be conducting sting operations at all and certainly not OFF CAMPUS.


0

If anyone here would like to see how these “sweet” Cal poly students behave on a daily basis I dare any of you to take a walk down the higuera Street Bar cluster area, mothers tavern, frog and peach, Marstons, black sheep, bulls and McCarthys on any weekend between 12 AM to 2 AM. Take time to talk to any Uber driver who does the nighttime drunk round up of these out of control drunk toddlers. The San Luis PD is basically forced to camp there nightly for disturbances, alcohol poisoning & brawling. Ask any Uber driver just how vile, rude, belligerent and abusive these entitled punks become without provocation. Just because you take a video of it does not mean it was not justified. So don’t start your little Bratty lives matter crusade here because these out of control jerks bring this upon themselves and not only deserve this treatment but probably more.


0

I declare I am astonished—astonished I dare say– that there is alcohol being consumed at these establishments and at ungodly hours!!! Heaven’s to Betsy we need action!!!


What are these poor Uber people to do. I mean they can choose not to patrol for drunks to profit from. Or they could leave it to the pro’s at SLO Taxi to do, since they pay all the fees to do it legally.


First amendment right’s do not end when speaking to a police officer. I can tell you most escalation’s occur with a police officer when they perceive that they are disrespected. Told to go F themselves as was in the case here


Cop’s need to be more like the costumed Disney characters you see parading around. They are paid to put up with whatever BS the public throws at them without reacting negatively.


The attitude that force is justified if one is dis-respected, is unlawful for one, and two very similar to the attitude we see within our gang community. Disrespect is not a license to do anything physical–yet it is often justified.


It is not a lot to ask the police do their job professionally and not let their emotions-centered around perceptions of respect, get in the way of doing their job.


Now I am always respectful of police officers, not because it is the law, but because it is smart do so. But I am not required to as you would prescribe.


0

You are correct. Uber / Lyft drivers can go away and obnoxious drunks will go back to drunk driving. 99% of these kids never ever took taxis in the first place as it is costly and there are not nearly enough drivers to cover the average 300 + ride requests per weekend night. It is a wonderful service to the entire community and saves lives. Not sure what your point is here except that taxi companies are disgruntled that your grandma and grandpa are the only ones using taxis any more because they don’t even own a cell phone or that someone else provides a better cheaper faster service. Maybe San Luis will follow suit and reduce the prohibitive city fees that they charge Taxi servers. Pismo is looking into that as it is really about saving lives. In the mean time if you think a hammered bar patron is willing to wait for more than an hour for a taxi good luck selling that unicorn.


0

Another Poly kid who doesn’t belong there or anywhere for that matter.


0

Well, OK, this is at least entertaining, if not actually interesting. Apparently the wise-ass foul-mouthed punk being arrested is Aiden, and the guy videotaping the incident and doing the running commentary is Julian.


So, after wasting this ten minutes of my life watching a bunch of young punks make fools of themselves and then displaying it for all of us and the rest of the world to see, Julian actually comes out with the only piece of wisdom in the entire event:


“Mouthing off gets your ass kicked and put in handcuffs.”


Yes, Julian, that is correct. If only your “friend” Aiden would have understood that in the first place, then none of this would probably have happened.


So, for Julian and Aiden, their friends who stood there watching and participating in the obscenity fest, and everyone else of that unique American demographic, please keep Julian’s little bit of advice in mind from now on.


And, in the meantime, GROW UP!


0

Beating somebody up because they said mean words to you is okay, huh? Those are the kinds of cops you want running around? People who beat you up because you spoke a series of 4 letter words…wow…yes somebody definitely needs to grow up…i left that shit on the play ground in third grade, and became an adult…you tough guys out there who cant control your anger when barraged with curse words and insults really ought to take a look at yourselves.


Oops i said shit…y’all gonna beat me up now, to teach me a lesson?


0

““Mouthing off gets your ass kicked and put in handcuffs.”” True when you live in a police state lite.


0
1 2 3