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Man Arrested For Taking Photo of Open ATM

Posted by kdawson on from the i-will-tackle-you dept.

net_shaman writes in with word of a Seattle man who was arrested for taking a photo of an ATM being serviced. "Today I was shopping at the downtown Seattle REI. I was about to buy a Thule hitch mount bike rack. They were out of the piece that locks the bike rack into the hitch. So I was in the customer service line to special order one. It was a long line and while I was waiting, I saw two of guys (employees of Loomis, as I later learned) refilling the ATM. I walked over and took a picture with my iPhone of them and more interestingly of the open ATM. I took the picture because I'm fascinated by the insides of things that we don't normally get to see. ... That was when Officer GE Abed (#6270) spun me around and put handcuffs on me."

7 of 1,232 comments (clear)

  1. For taking a picture? by courtjester801 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    It looks more like being arrested for mouthing off to the cops. Tact not a strong point?

    1. Re:For taking a picture? by Chyeld · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      So... back to the Loomis guys, REI loss prevention officers and cops.

      We go back and forth about why I took it and don't see it as a problem versus why they think it's somehow threatening their personal safety and their property's safety. They're trying to convince me to give my ID to the Loomis guys to write their report. I'm trying to convince them to go fuck themselves that I didn't do anything illegal or otherwise wrong and that Loomis doesn't have any jurisdiction to compel me to give them my ID. Round and round, over and over.

      Does it really matter at that point who is the beneficiary of information? They told him to identify himself. Period.

  2. Detritus of the BushCo Years by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Where your money was more highly regarded than were your rights.

  3. Re:And not illegal to handcuff him by Gnea · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    The point is, he went out of his way to take the picture. He even admitted to it.

    "Oh, hai! I see you are moneying the machine! A peecture I will take because I CAN!!!"

  4. Re:OK, this is lame, but... by Uberbah · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Go ahead and tell the cops you'll talk to them, just as soon as you are granted immunity.

    Great idea. Never talk to the police. Not even if you have information that might save lives.

    You mean like in the mythical ticking time bomb scenario?

  5. What about the guards 4th amendment rights? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    In several situations it is not right to just take someones picture. I mean generally you shouldn't take a picture of someone without their permission. So I ask is it unreasonable to say that this guy violated the rights of this guard by not only publishing his image, the image of a private citizen, but publishing it without this private citizen doing anything wrong? The guard was after all just doing his job and shouldn't have to worry about someone recording HIS actions without reasonable justification. I mean how many people walk into a bank and just start snapping pictures of everyone in there.

    Just as the government must have a reason to search and collect information on an individual, shouldn't individuals now have some protections from each other? After all it's not just the government now with the ability to gather large amounts of potentially damaging information on individual citizens but now individual citizens can gather potentially damaging information on each other.

    I hope this guy gets his butt sued off.

  6. Re:You just defined smartass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Yeah, an indian and a nigger in jail.
    News at eleven?