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Woman claims to be sovereign citizen during arrest Carmen Crawford told police she didn't need to provide her identification or step out of the car. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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COURT ON THOSE ASSAULT CHARGES DECEMBER 20. BACK TO YOU. ROB: DAVID, THANKS. BACK IN OMAHA -- POLICE SAY AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY OVER THIS TRAFFIC STOP. ALEXANDRA: OFFICERS SAY THEY GAVE THE WOMAN MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES TO COOPERATE BEFORE THEY PULLED HER OUT. ROB: HER SON WAS ALSO IN THE CAR, AND WE JUST SPOKE WITH HIM. KETV NEWSWATCH 7’S SARAH FILI IS INVESTIGATING TONIGHT. SARAH? SARAH: CARMEN CRAWFORD’S SON SAYS THEY’RE TIRED OF BEING HARASSED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. POLICE SAY THEY PULLED OVER HIS MOM BECAUSE SHE DIDN’T HAVE ANY PLATES OR IN-TRANSITS. SHE’S ALREADY IN TROUBLE FOR NOT HAVING A LICENSE, AND ACCORDING TO THE AFFIDAVIT SHE FILED HERSELF, SHE DOESN’T BELIEVE SHE SHOULD BE FORCED TO HAVE ONE. CELLPHONE VIDEO CAPTURES THE TRAFFIC STOP NEAR 28TH AND AMES SUNDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER ANGLE FROM INSIDE THE CAR RECORDS THE EXCHANGE BETWEEN POLICE AND THE DRIVER. >> WE NEED TO I.D. YOU OK? SARAH: OMAHA POLICE OFFICERS PULL OVER A CAR WITH NO PLATES THEN ASK 56-YEAR-OLD CARMEN CRAWFORD FOR HER LICENSE AND REGISTRATION. >> IT’S NOT A CRIME TO TRAVEL ON THESE STREETS, OK? >> BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR VEHICLE PLATED? >> NO, YOU DON’T. SARAH: ACCORDING TO OMAHA POLICE, CRAWFORD SAID SHE WAS EXCERCISING HER RIGHT NOT TO IDENTIFY HERSELF. >> SO, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO STEP OUT OF THE VEHICLKE FOR US? >> NO, SIR, I’M NOT. SARAH: MINUTES LATER, YOU SEE THEM PULL HER OUT OF THE CAR. POLICE SAY THEY PLEADED WITH HER FOR MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES, THEN A SERGEANT FIRED PEPPER BALLS INTO THE CAR. THEY SAY CRAWFORD STILL REFUSED THEIR ORDERS, SO THEY BROKE THE WINDOW AND PULLED HER OUT. HER SON, THE PASSENGER, DESCRIBES THE CHAOS. >> HE THEN UNLOCKED THE DOOR, WE’RE COUGHING, HE THROWNS -- THROWS US ONTO THE GROUND, KNEES ARE ON OUR BACK, KNEES ARE IN OUR NECK. I CAN BARELY BREATHE. SARAH: ACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORT, CRAWFORD IDENTIFIED HERSELF AS A SOVEREIGN CITIZEN -- INDIVIDUAL, SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES THE GOVERNMENT’S LAWS DON’T APPLY TO THEM. HER SON SAYS IT STEMS FROM A FEAR OF POLICE AFTER SEVERAL CONTACTS JUST LIKE THIS ONE. >> IT’S ALWAYS, "WE NEED TO SEE YOUR I.D.," SHE TELLS THEM "THAT’S NOT THE CHOICE WE HAVE, YOU DON’T NEED TO SEE MY I.D.," AND IT GOES FROM THERE. SARAH: AFTER A RECENT CITATION FOR NO LICENSE, REGISTRATION, OR PROOF OF INSURANCE, CRAWFORD FILED AN AFFAVADIT OUTLINING HER RIGHTS, SAYING NEITHER POLICE NOR THE CITY CAN OVERRULE HER SOVEREIGN CITIZENSHIP. SHE ALSO ARGUES THAT THEY CANNOT REQUIRE HER TO ABIDE BY LAWS INCLUDING SPEED LIMITS OR LICENSE REQUIREMENTS. IN A STATEMENT ABOUT THE INCIDENT, OPD SAYS OFFICERS "CANNOT SIMPLY LEAVE THE SCENE OF A TRAFFIC STOP WHEN DRIVERS REFUSE TO COMPLY WITH THEIR REQUESTS." OMAHA POLICE SAY THE STOP IS UNDER INVESTIGATION, BUT INITIAL REVIEWS OF BODY CAMERA VIDEO DIDN’T RAISE ANY RED FLAGS. CRAWFORD IS SET TO BE RELEASED ON BOND TONIGHT. SHE’S DUE TO APPEAR IN COURT TOMORROW ON HER OTHER CHARGES AND THE