Footage released by Utah police shows the fatal shooting of a 25-year law student on March 1 after he refused to comply with an officer’s demands during a routine stop.
Utah police stopped Chase Allan for having an illegitimate license plate. Allan, a “sovereign citizen,” initially refused to comply with the officer’s request to produce identification.
Sovereign citizens do not believe that government laws apply to them and that they have no obligation to comply.
Footage initially shows Allan stopped at a traffic light. The license plate on his vehicle is then identified as being illegitimate. The police officer follows the blue BMW into a parking lot, and the driver parks the car.
The officer gets out of the police car to approach the vehicle and switches to his body camera as he exits his car.
“I am not giving you jurisdiction. Do not detain. You are not allowed to stop me,” Allan told the first officer on the scene.
“I don’t need registration, and I don’t answer questions,” he said.
“The direction this encounter goes is 100 percent in your hands,” the officer says after an exchange of words.
The officer can be heard calling for backup after Allan’s initial refusal to comply. Allan then pulled a passport out of his pocket and showed it by holding it to the window. The officer prompted him to hand over the passport, saying he could not read it through the glass.
Shortly after, several other officers arrived at the scene. Allan remained in the car, despite officers demanding that he step out of the vehicle.
The footage shows Allan moving a cell phone from his right to his left hand, exposing what appeared to be a holster. The officer again tells Allan to step out of the vehicle.
The officer then pulls open the vehicle door. Allan can be seen reaching toward his right side. It is unclear at this stage whether he was unstrapping his seatbelt or reaching for his gun. As an officer tries to pull Allan out, the officers can be heard shouting, “gun, gun, gun, gun, gun!” moments before three officers fired a barrage of bullets at the vehicle.
Bodycam footage reveals Allan’s handgun on the floor near the driver’s seat. According to statements by the officers, Allan had tried to reach for the firearm. The footage, however, does not directly corroborate this.
According to Farmington Police Chief Eric Johnsen, the officers opened fire after Allan reached down to retrieve what they thought was a gun. Johnsen admits the footage does not clearly show what occurred right before the shooting because of the car door and an officer reaching in to pull Allan out.
Previous reports indicated officers were ordered to turn off their body cameras moments before the shooting.
A total of 12 shots were fired at Allan. Before the footage release, Allan’s family referred to the incident as “brutal murder.”
The officers involved did not state that Allan returned fire.
According to Allan’s mother, Diane, her son was clearly terrified for his safety during the traffic stop. She had previously sued the Farmington Police Department over an incident of her own. In 2022, she was stopped for driving with an expired license. She declined to give officers information about her license or registration, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The names of the five officers in the video have not been disclosed.
The Allan family harshly criticized Farmington Police before releasing the footage a week after the incident. Officers were accused of “stonewalling” instead of explaining the fatal encounter.
Questions were raised about the initial officer’s decision to call for backup and the number of shots fired. The Police Chief responded by saying that calling for backup was standard procedure.
The incident has sparked speculation about the Allan family’s involvement in the ‘Sovereign Citizen movement.’ Local media took photographs straight after the incident showing placards on the car and a flag sticker with stars, stripes, and the phrase ‘Utah, American State Citizen.’
The Sovereign Citizen Movement follows the idea that people are free men and women who do not fall under the jurisdiction of what they believe to be a fake government, which was replaced decades or centuries ago.
The movement claims no lawful obligation exists to register births, pay taxes, or obtain car insurance. The theory is rooted in a long-standing disdain for governmental oppression or control, particularly in Western parts of the world.
While it has been a fringe movement for many years, it has recently gained popularity following government corruption revelations.