I’m not sure what drugs our friend had ingested before he decided to pull his firearm. Just as I’m not sure how he came to be in the back of a cop car. Or if that’s the best way—or time— for a cop to disarm a backseat druggie. But I am sure that firearms “incidents” are like airplane “accidents.” They’re almost always the result of a series of unfortunate events and/or a number of mistakes. You know the old gun guru adage “don’t do stupid things with stupid people in stupid places”? It’s true both as a list and a sequence. If you recognize that something is awry, don’t compound your problems. Avoid both gunfights and negligent discharges by remembering to “be mindful” (as they say in drug counseling). Slow down, think about what’s going on, think about your options and then act decisively. You’d be amazed at what doesn’t happen when you know you don’t want it to.


  1. I I just don’t understand what I did wrong…. My guess is being on drugs and then pulling a revolver in the back of a Cop car. Lucky for the officers that this guy wasn’t more intent on using that gun. I figured you were usually searched before getting into a car though.

    • There is so much stupidity here to go around, starting with the fact that he was not searched, that i don’t even know where to begin. There are 3 people on that video lucky to be alive.

      • Read the description on the video. He WAS Searched, but not thoroughly as he was NOT under arrest. He was being given a courtesy ride home rather than being arrested for PI. They did a cursory frisk and stopped after finding his alcohol. He was not handcuffed because he was not arrested.

  2. %The officers involved did a half ass pat down and missed the gun, but found the wine bottle in his pocket. This same action got two Troopers killed in West Virginia last year.

    • Yeah, now they are naming the highway where the troopers were shot after them. Never mind they obviously never searched the guy and handcuffed him in front…..

  3. I’m sure the perp was just about to tell the LEO’s that he had a CCW and was legally carrying a revolver that he obtained only after going through a background check. 😉

  4. Stupid cops. He was clearly in the back of the car because he was drunk or on drugs and they were taking him in (him saying “I just don’t understand what I did wrong”). They should have had him cuffed and searched him before putting him back there.

    • Actually, they were just giving him a ride home.

      Yes, they should have found the gun and no, he had no reason to pull it. He wasn’t even under arrest, for chrissake.

      Un-fu<king believable.

    • Clearly he was being taken in huh? Stupid Cops? More like Stupid JT for not reading the full description of the incident.

      1)He wasn’t under arrest.
      2)He was being given a courtesy ride home rather than arrest him for P.I. (Something they didn’t have to do)
      3)They DID do a pat down on him earlier
      Yes, they probably should have found the gun but believe it or not, things DO get missed in pat down searches all the time. Nature of the beast. Does not make the Cops stupid. Your comment on it however… does.

  5. That’s one way to guarantee police will open up a can of wamp ass on you. However which one of the officers missed the gun in the pat down, not a small gun!

    • So, when he said he didn’t know what he had done, he was so freakin’ HIGH he FORGOT they were giving him a ride home?

  6. Yes, they should have searched him better.

    That said, I think they demonstrated pretty admirable restraint and professionalism once they saw the gun.

  7. Holy police state! Cops in full military garb, beating the guy afterwards. That, and the fact that they didn’t catch the gun in the first place doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies.

    • WV,
      Comments from the anti-cop peanut gallery I see.

      Full Military Garb (NOT Checked)
      Beating the guy afterwards (NOT checked)
      Didn’t catch the gunn in the first place: Believe it or not, things do get missed all the time via patdown searches of guys getting arrested for violent crimes, this guy was just being given a ride home. was not under arrest and they still did a cursory patdown. A patdown is NOT infallable.

      So go tell your jackbooted thug cop story where someone gives a damn. Try the KKK.

  8. I bet they never do a half @$$ed patdown again.

    I can only imagine how they felt after realizing what that guy coulda done to them…

  9. 1:57 – I’m a bully cop who’s so pissed at being scared shitless that I’m gonna grab you by the neck and scream obscenities in your face now that you’ve been disarmed and are helplessly handcuffed.

    • And you were stupid enough to have a gun on you when you were stupid enough to do whatever you did to get locked up in the first place. Bad cop, no donut!

      • It’s their fault they missed it, so they beat him afterwards for their mistake?

        That’s absurd and ridiculous. The officers should be fired for:

        1. Missing the gun.
        2. Going overboard.

    • They should have turned off the cameras and tattooed the guy. I’m as vigilant as any one on abuse of power, but for gods sake, how much danger do you expect the cops to be in and not react? F this looser. Throw away the key time.

  10. Did they remove him from the car and search him again after they finally cuffed him? Really sloppy police work to say the least. The police were really lucky to not get shot. Same goes for the suspect after they realized he had a gun.

  11. Definately a poor search incident to arrest. Also, why is the guy not handcuffed behind the back? Standard procedure where I come from…unless there is a medical condition or other reason not to.

    As for the ass whooping, you get what you ask for in life. Don’t carry a gun and get arrested and try to hide it (or do whatever else he was thinking about doing) then buck up after you’ve been caught.

    Those two cops are lucky…damn lucky. And what is up with the 1940’s helmet there?

      • Aww, was the poor man’s feathers ruffled? The bastard, for all intent and purpose, pulled a gun on the cops. You don’t think this could have ended with 2 dead cops and the Brady bunch on a new tirade?

        • He looked like he was trying to get rid of it (hide it under the seat) and then when the cop came back around he hid it back in his pants. Looks to me like he didn’t want to be caught with the gun. I would not say that he “pulled a gun on the cops.” The cops should have done a pat down prior to putting him in the car.

          I think choking him after the threat was diffused was not appropriate for his profession.

    • I think that was a shake-by-the-lapels, along with “What else do you fu<king have?!?" or some such.

  12. Life is a great teacher – if you survive the lesson.

    These cops will never again do a half-assed pat down of a suspect.

    Three guys lucky to be alive indeed.


  13. Huh?!?!?!?

    Those police officers must have been giving the man in the back seat a courtesy ride since they obviously had not frisked the man nor put him in handcuffs. I guess that is just bad luck for those two officers.

    That is a good example of why it is foolish for police to patrol in cars all by themselves … it would have been exceedingly difficult for one officer to disarm that guy all by himself.

    On another vein, is there a law against possessing a handgun in the back seat of a police car if you are not under arrest? Is there a law against having it out of your pocket/holster and in hand in the back of a police car if you are not under arrest? Is it unwise — of course. But is it illegal? I never saw the man aim it at any of the officers or otherwise threaten them.

  14. Since he was not cuffed, I am guessing he was a transport. It wouldn’t have been PC to pat him down if he was.

  15. Maybe the cops picked him up in a bad neighborhood , and hurried their search to get out of the area

  16. Self Defense Tip for LEOs – pay attention in pat-down class.

    Seriously that cop’s rage is very misplaced. He has only himself and his partner to blame (assuming they conducted the search).

  17. I don’t take comfort in seeing a cop wearing what looks like a Wehrmacht helmet. When the police become militarized, a police state isn’t too far behind.

  18. Those cops are lucky this fool didn’t shoot them. I know they have a tough job, but they should be ashamed of the half ass pat down.

  19. I don’t see a lot of police professionalism here, sloppy pat down, poor control of fear anger. That said, I don’t know what happened before this. I was yanked out of my truck by a tactical drug squad once & they were all hyped up, as it turns out they had a rough deal with someone right before me, Randy

  20. Noticed the visible cop kept his finger way the hell away from the trigger after he drew, even during the scuffle. Good presence of mind/habit.

    See the wandering finger enough, fingered I’d point out a good move in the midst of an oopsie.

  21. To everyone commenting on this post who is on the “Stupid Cops” bandwagon….

    How about you EDUCATE yourself before commenting.
    Under the description of the video is a LOT of pertinent information that shows a lot of your ASSumptions to be wrong. But you just go on what you see only in the video which does not tell the full tale. And you go on what Mr. Farago writes who also DID NOT DO his due diligence before posting this video.

    Most of you nay-saying the Cops couldn’t do a Cops job if you wanted to.

    1) The individual WAS NOT under arrest, therefore he was not Handcuffed.
    He was drunk, and rather than arrest him for Public Intoxication as they very well were within their rights to do, they were giving the man a courtesy ride home.

    2) He WAS Searched before they put him in the car. but as he was not under arrest, it was only a cursory pat-down. They did find and remove his liquor bottle and stopped after that. Cops are human beings and this was a dirty smelly drunk. Probably even pissed himself. Even you would not want to touch him more than necessary. Mistakes do happen. Perhaps they should have found the gun, but they didn’t but that does NOT make the cops stupid. It makes them H.U.M.A.N.!!!

    Even if he was a violent criminal caught in the act and under arrest, and the Cops gave him a Complete and thorough Pat Down search. The Pat-Down is NOT infallable and things do get missed. This could happen through no fault of the searching Officer. Just one of those things.

    3) Officer choking the unarmed guy:
    It is not always evident on video. When you are in body contact with your opponent, you can feel then tense up in preparation to resist or fight back. It looked to me like the Officer was forcibly controlling the situation with a suspect resisting.
    Add to that, he just had a gun and they are very hyped up as to what could have just gone down. Yes they are amped, Yes they are angry that this guy who they were helping out when they could have just arrested him may have just tried to murder him. Yes yes… I know it looks like he was just trying to hide and not get caught with the gun but that’s you seeing the video, not at all what the Cops had to go on “In the moment”.
    Cops are human beings and every one of you A-holes slamming the cops, I seriously doubt you would have done better. In fact I would lay good odds you would do far far FAR worse. up to and even shooting the guy.

    1) DO your research before bullsh!tting
    2) Don’t go slamming people when you don’t have a farking clue about what you’re talking about
    3) FOAD!

    And to Mr. Farago.
    Love your site. Great information most times.
    But you too failed your readership and/or acted as instigator to a bunch of anti-Cop slams when you failed to do your own due diligence before posting the thread. Rather, you posted:


    Had you but read the video description, you too would have known the answers to some of those questions at least and may have a different outlook on the video as a whole.

    But no. you leapt to a conclusion of “Here’s a video of some bumbling keystone coppers, lets let my readership blast the fools”.


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