Cop Tackles A Marine Veteran On His Own Porch For Recording Him

A Marine veteran who was tackled on his own porch for filming a police officer has settled an excessive force lawsuit against the city of Vallejo, California, for $300,000, the Vallejo Sun reports. The settlement is yet another in a string of costly excessive force lawsuits against the city of Vallejo. Despite its relatively small size, the Vallejo Police Department has generated a large number of civil rights lawsuits and settlement payouts. In January 2019, Adrian Burrell, a documentary filmmaker and former Marine, saw the police stopping his cousin. Burrell used his cell phone to record the traffic stop from his porch. When Vallejo police officer David McLaughlin saw Burrell filming him, he ordered him to get back, although Burrell was standing about 20 to 30 feet. Burrell refused.

Multiple federal appeals courts have upheld a broad First Amendment right to film the police, so long as one isn't obstructing them from their duties. This is where the interaction between Burrell and McLaughlin should have ended.