Bay Area civil rights activist claims rough arrest, HCSO responds

Civil rights activist arrested after traffic stop

Evan Axelbank reports

TAMPA, Fla. - A Bay Area civil rights activist is claiming police brutality after his arrest was captured on a Hillsborough County deputy's bodycam.

Carl Soto held a press conference on Friday, with Hillsborough deputies calling one immediately after, saying the arresting deputy was found to not have violated any policies.

It all started over a relatively minor traffic violation. The deputy pulled him over after noticing the graphic of a comic book character in the middle of the plate, instead of any official DMV Florida logos or vanity plates.

Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

So he pulled him over, and it took only seconds for things to go haywire.

"I am going to give you about point-two seconds to explain what you pulled me over for," Soto told the deputy, "because I have not committed any traffic violations."

After denying the tag is illegal, Soto became even more agitated.

Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

"Get your watch commander out here now," he said. "Let me call your sheriff."

The deputy cites the Florida statute that he found Soto to be in violation of, and orders him out of the car. He asks for his license a total of 20 times, opening his door amidst a flurry of arguing back and forth.

"You have no lawful reason to open this door," Soto said as he held up his license. "You will not take it."

Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

That's when the deputy takes his taser out, and orders him out of the car. He tells the deputy he has trouble standing because he just had back surgery.

"Your badge will be removed today," he tells the deputy. "I never did anything unlawful to you. Have you lost your mind?"

While his wife tells him over speakerphone to comply, he tells her to call a lawyer. A minute after cuffing one arm, the deputy makes the arrest for resisting without violence.

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Soto called a press conference Friday, saying the arrest exacerbated his back injury, and insisting the deputy overreacted and racially profiled him.

"I was treated like a criminal and thrown on the ground in the middle of a street like I was a criminal over a license plate," he told assembled media.

The deputy is heard on bodycam saying he couldn't have known what race he was given his back windows were tinted.

Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

Deputies also say they've reviewed the video and found nothing wrong with the stop, the way the deputy interacted or with the manner of arrest.

"(He was) not complying with lawful commands, not handing over his license," said HCSO spokesperson Amanda Granit. "And just it all could have been avoided. And that's what I, you know, this didn't have to end this way, but it did because of Mr. Soto's actions."

Soto told the deputy that he had been told by the DMV that his Joker license plate was legal, but the state does not produce legal license plates with comic book characters on them.

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Soto has promised to file a lawsuit.

HCSO says they have no plans to change the employment status of the deputy who made this arrest.

Soto faces a charge of resisting arrest without violence, and has pleaded not guilty.

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