Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
FARMINGTON — As Chase Allan refuses to provide the officer who pulled him over with identification, claiming he is not required to do so, the officer tells him that he is in control of how the traffic stop will go.
"You are lawfully required to identify yourself. So you can provide your identification to me and we can have a conversation about the laws that you've broken. Or you can fail to identify to me and we can go that route, too. I'm perfectly OK with whatever way you want to go. But the direction this encounter goes is 100% in your hands," the officer tells Allan in police body camera video.
Just minutes later, as Farmington police officers attempt to pull Allan out of his car, an officer is heard yelling, "Gun!" several times. Five officers immediately back away from the car and a barrage of approximately 20 shots are heard. One officer can be seen reloading his clip.
On Wednesday, Farmington police released dashboard camera video and five body camera videos from those officers involved in the deadly confrontation with Allan on March 1 in the parking lot of the Farmington post office.
The dashcam video shows Allan being pulled over for having an illegal license plate, according to police. The plate is blurred in the video, but Chief Eric Johnsen called the "sovereign" license plate one that is not legitimate in any state.
After Allan pulls over in the parking lot at 145 State, a Farmington police officer approaches his car. In body-camera video, Allan keeps his window mostly rolled up as he speaks to the officer and "immediately asserts his right to not obey the laws of the land," Johnsen said.
The officer explains to Allan that he was pulled over for not having registration on his vehicle.
"You don't need registration," Allan is heard telling the officer.
At that point, the officer calls for backup. Johnsen says that contradicts an earlier statement made by Allan's family.
"There's been an allegation made that backup was called for prior to this. That is absolutely untrue," the chief said.
As the officer continues to talk with the 25-year-old Allan, who is filming the officer with his cellphone, he refuses to answer the officer's questions.
"You are detained at this time and you are not free to leave," the officer tells Allan as he waits for backup to arrive. The officer then continues to ask if he has identification or will provide identification, but Allan doesn't directly answer his question.
"OK, so I'm going to take that as a no, that you're not going to provide me with your identification. Is that the route we're going? Or would you like to provide your identification to me and we can have a conversation? We can discuss the laws that you're breaking and we can go from there," the officer tells him.
Allan tells the officer that he has to be entrusted if he gives him identification and that the officer "will be responsible for any debts you're trying to incur here" before then citing alleged statutes claiming the officer is trying to incur debt and that traveling is a federally protected activity.
"I understand what you're saying. And what I'm telling you is that you do not have an option not to identify yourself," the officer responds.
Allan eventually provides the officer with his passport while stating, "You are not allowed to detain me."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Chase Allan," the officer says after receiving and reading his passport.
But Allan then quickly adds, "That is not me. That is a piece of plastic and paper."
"So you have a fraudulent passport? Wonderful. That's what I'm hearing," the officer responds.
By this time, four backup officers have arrived on scene. As Johnsen went over body camera footage for reporters on Wednesday, he slowed and froze the videos at certain spots and pointed out that a holster can be seen on Allan's right hip. At another point, Allan transfers his phone from his right to his left hand and his right hand then drops toward his hip. According to police, Allan's hand and arm can be seen positioning toward the holster. Allan is also still wearing his seat belt.
When the officer finally tells Allan to get out of the car, he replies, "I am not required to" and then tells the officer that he will "have an issue" if he attempts to remove him.
"If you don't step out of the car, we're going to break the window and pull you out," an officer is heard saying.
In the videos, as one officer opens the driver's side door and another officer reaches into the car, an officer immediately and excitedly yells, "Gun! Gun! Gun! Gun! Gun! Gun! Gun!" After 15 to 19 shots are fired, one officer can be heard yelling, "Cease fire!"
Johnsen said Wednesday that he has not spoken to any of the officers involved about what they saw during the incident, saying that will be up to the protocol team being led by Bountiful police to investigate the shooting.
When asked what he thought of the confrontation, based solely on what he observed from body-camera videos, the chief replied, "I see police officers that made a lawful, reasonable traffic stop and dealt with someone that was noncompliant. I see them deal with him professionally, even-keeled, cool, calm and collected temperament. And then unfortunately I see things go really a really tragic direction.
"Based on what I see, I see a manipulation of that holster, a movement of that holster. But I can't clearly see a firearm from the angle that the camera is," Johnsen continued, while also stressing that several studies on officer-involved shootings have shown there is a difference between what body cameras pick up and what officers are actually seeing.
When pressed further about whether he believes Allan pointed a gun at any officers or was just putting his hand near his hip, Johnsen said, "What I see in that video is officers not responding to someone with just a gun in a holster."
He noted that when Allan was pulled out of his car, his holster was empty and a gun was found on the floor where he had been sitting.
About a year ago, Allan's mother, Diane Allan, was involved in a very similar traffic stop during which she also refused to give the officer her license or registration, claiming she didn't have to. She would only hand a passport to the officer and a Declaration of Independence document through a very small window opening.
Johnsen said Wednesday that he doubts any of the five officers involved with Chase Allan knew about his family history.
"Four of those officers on scene have been with the department for seven to eight months, max. One of those officers on scene has been with us for 12 years and has not had any involvement with that family," he said.
Overall, Johnsen calls it a tragic ending to what should have been a routine traffic stop. He thanked the Allan family for exercising their right to assemble in a "peaceful" and "appropriate" manner earlier this week when they protested the shooting.
He also noted that his officers had been affected by the shooting.
"They're impacted. All of us are. I think officers across the country are impacted. Whether it's in their hometown or not, they're impacted."
The protocol team will conduct an investigation into the shooting and turn its results over to the Davis County Attorney's Office, which will decide whether the five officers were legally justified in using deadly force.
