Checkout the "PeddlePub"... This self-described "original party bike", which lists it's corporate "Mission Statement" (which can be viewed here) as being "to provide a fun, safe environmentally-friendly way for groups of eight to sixteen adults to get some light exercise and fresh air while touring interesting parts of town on a big Dutch-made bike.".... leaving out the part about being accomplished "with the assistance of a keg of beer being attached to enhance the experience".
On Saturday night, May 23rd, 2015, an incident involving the Twin City PeddlePub franchise, several off-duty Burnsville Police Department Officers peddlers and six (6) "adult" pranksters who were armed with water guns and water balloons occurred in the Warehouse District of downtown Minneapolis. The melee resulted in beat-downs, arrests and a potential civil right's lawsuit.
The ensuing fracas between the off duty Burnsville police and the six (6) pranksters was captured on cell phone video footage (which can be seen here), but what was NOT captured on video was the initial water gun attack, which has been alleged by the party-bike operator (and which was subsequently admitted by the pranksters) to have occurred on prior occasions as well. Below are the six (6) arrestees' mugshots who are complaining that the Burnsville cop's retaliation was excessive compared to the "harmless prank" which was committed. They say that the off-duty officer victims in this case "totally overreacted" to the "childish joke". Per Sam Spadino, one (1) of the arrested pranksters: "A little water, seemed like a harmless prank". Per Francis Belanger, another arrestee: "He had his neck on my throat and proceeded to get it off me because I couldn't breathe." Kurtis Johnson, the arrestee pictured alone (below the group photo) who is shown in the video being restrained stated that: "at one point they tried to kick this [referring to a water gun he had connected to a rope] away from me, while it was still around my neck" (a picture of Johnson's alleged scar from where officer / victims tried to "rip off the water pistol" which was being held on his body by a rope around his neck can be seen below his mug shot).
The other side of the story: After having been ambushed by six (6) men with armed with water guns and water balloons the off-duty Burnsville police officer's response to being attacked was to fight back with physical force. One (1) of the officer / victims can be heard saying during the one minute long video: "'Do you understand me? I will break your arm. Stay the f*** on the ground, do you hear me? Do not move. You better leave f*****", and the video shows several of the water-wielding suspects pinned to the ground as the off-duty officers called for backup. Some of the arrested water balloon and water gun wielding arrestees reportedly admitted to responding Minneapolis police that they had deliberately targeted the PedalPubs on prior occasions, and the driver of the PedalPub has sided with her fares, stating that she was "distracted and annoyed" after "being shot multiple times with water guns and even hit with water balloons" and that she has no problem whatsoever with the way that the off-duty police officers responded to the unexpected, unwarranted and unacceptable water attack.
The six (6) men were arrested with varying charges including "causing bodily harm" and disorderly conduct, and while the off duty Burnsville Officers are currently "under investigation" (by the Minneapolis and not by their own PD) they remain on active duty. In the interim, at least one of the arrestees is contemplating a civil rights lawsuit for excessive use of force.
Memo to the "pranksters": You entirely earned your beat down. In fact to my mind you got off lightly. I extend props to the Burnsville cops for not peppering you. Be clear on this: Anyone, cop or not, would have been justified in responding to your ambush styled premeditated attack (and that is precisely what it was - bullets, water, it matters not) with physical force (not with weapons but with their hands and feet). And, in point of fact you might be grateful that these were LEO's (law enforcement officers) who knew, better than Joe Average civilian, to check their anger and outrage and not smash your stupid faces into the pavement. Yours was nothing shy of being a galactically idiotic "prank" and your proposed civil right's lawsuit has...
Memo to the "pranksters": You entirely earned your beat down. In fact to my mind you got off lightly. I extend props to the Burnsville cops for not peppering you. Be clear on this: Anyone, cop or not, would have been justified in responding to your ambush styled premeditated attack (and that is precisely what it was - bullets, water, it matters not) with physical force (not with weapons but with their hands and feet). And, in point of fact you might be grateful that these were LEO's (law enforcement officers) who knew, better than Joe Average civilian, to check their anger and outrage and not smash your stupid faces into the pavement. Yours was nothing shy of being a galactically idiotic "prank" and your proposed civil right's lawsuit has...
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