A video posted on social media of a man on a bicycle stopped by police in a Jersey Shore town for not having a bell on his bike is drawing criticism from bystanders and online commenters.

"Where do you get locked up because you don't got a bell on your bike," one of the men watching the arrest says on the video.

Police, however, say the Facebook video doesn't tell the whole story.

Warning: The video below contains explicit language.

Posted by A Dot Norwood on Wednesday, September 5, 2018

The incident happened in Seaside Heights on the evening of Sept. 5.

Officers saw 32-year-old Raymond A. Wilson of Bayville on his bike and "observed suspicious activity," according to Seaside Heights Detective Steve Korman.

He added that the officers saw him going to different residences. Wilson obstructed the officers' efforts to speak with him, he said.

"He basically told them he didn't have to stop and left," the detective said.

The lack of a bell was the probable cause officers used to try and stop Wilson, Korman said.

"He was acting suspiciously and then the officers observed his bike didn't have a bell, so they wanted to stop him," Korman said.

Police lost sight of him during the incident, but later caught up with him again, Korman said.

At some point during the encounter, the video shows Wilson asking why he was being arrested and an officer told him it was for obstruction.

Wilson, however, did not go quietly when police tried to take him into custody.

"You assaulted me by grabbing me," Wilson declares. "Don't grab me."

He flails his arms as two officers try to cuff him, then looks at the camera.

"You see this, right? They're arresting me because I ain't got a bell on my bike."

A bystander says, "They locked him up because he's black." But another man watching the arrest says, "No, they locked him up because he's known in Seaside."

Under state statute, "A bicycle must be equipped with a bell or other audible device that can be heard at least 100 feet away, but not a siren or whistle."

Once lawfully stopped, if the person flees from police, that is an act of obstructing the administration law, legal experts say. If the person also resists arrest, then that is a separate charge.

Korman said bicycle citations like this are common in Shore communities, since biking is a popular way to get around.

"It's a resort town and it's preferred that there is some kind of audible device on bicycles in town," he said.

The fine for that violation is $54.

Figures on how often the citations are issued in Seaside Heights were not available.

Wilson was charged with obstruction and resisting arrest, and cited for not having a bell on his bicycle. He was released pending a future court date on the charges.

Efforts to contact Wilson or the person who posted the video of the arrest were unsuccessful.

Reporter Taylor Tiamoyo Harris contributed to this post.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips.