Longboarder Charged With Resisting Arrest With Bismarck Police

Do you remember a controversial video back in August involving Bismarck police officers chasing a suspect? It was taken from a door cam at night, officers were shown trying to get an individual by the name of Seth Voegele to stop after they had witnessed him out on State Street. According to The BismarckTribune " Officers saw him riding a longboard -- a larger version of a skateboard meant for cruising and turning at higher speeds -- in the southbound lane of State Street, which is illegal"

 The video stirred up emotions and many people  challenged the actions of the officers

The 1:08 second video showed us many things - the pursuit of a 32-year-old that was not complying with their commands to stop, a remark that was spotlighted as hostile.  "Officer Mark Muscha can be heard cursing at Voegele during the arrest and asking “Bro, do you want to fight?” That specific action was deemed unnecessary to many people.

An internal investigation took place about that night

After the incident, an internal investigation took place and the officer in question received a verbal reprimand, and the suspect has been charged with resisting arrest. If Voegele is found guilty he could face up to a year in jail.

Officers tell you to stop, then stop - it's that simple

The video clearly shows that the suspect is not complying with their initial command - to stop. When their first two attempts are denied, obviously the officers are now going to be more aggressive, when it's obvious that Voegele is becoming a concern. For one thing, they have no clue if he is armed with any kind of weapon, and when a subject keeps resisting, the matter becomes way more intense. Stop when an officer tells you to. It's easy to judge when you are relaxed and watching this on your computer, but when you are out there on the streets, you have just seconds to size up the situation, and when you yell "Stop" more than once and you are denied, a minor problem is certain to escalate.