Arlington police arrest 2 open-carry advocates

Star Telegram – by Susan Schrock

A local gun-rights group is fired up after Arlington police arrested two of its members over the weekend, saying they interfered with a traffic stop and an emergency domestic disturbance call.

Open Carry Tarrant County is urging members to march from the Arlington Police Department to City Hall on Jan. 10 with their rifles and black-powder pistols to demand the return of arrested members’ guns.  

Organizers say they are considering suing the city over what they call the illegal arrests of members Jacob Cordova and Pablo Frias, who were participating in a “cop watch” patrol Saturday — when members videotape officers as they work.

“The arrests are very unnecessary. We are not breaking any laws,” said Kory Watkins, an open-carry advocate.

“We are planning an event. We are raising money and plan to do all we can to see that Arlington respects the rights of the people.”

Arlington police say they haven’t had a problem with people videotaping officers from a reasonable distance, which has gone on for more than a year. But when members show up carrying deadly weapons while officers are responding to calls, that creates a safety concern, especially in light of recent shootings of police officers in other places.

“When a weapon is introduced, what would normally be acceptable — standing across the street videotaping and screaming — is no longer acceptable. It’s an enhanced threat officers have to address,” Assistant Police Chief Leland Strickland said.

Traffic stops and domestic-disturbance calls are unpredictable and can turn violent in an instant, said Lt. Christopher Cook, a police spokesman. When officers are then approached by people with guns, that is a dangerous distraction.

“We can’t have our officers become complacent, and so they are going to respond accordingly and professionally when confronted with armed persons coming to traffic stops,” Cook said.

Cordova and Frias could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Their arrests are the fourth and fifth times this year that Arlington police have arrested cop-watch participants for interfering with officers’ public duties.

‘Afraid for her safety’

Early Saturday afternoon, police briefly monitored a small open-carry rally in north Arlington. Afterward, some officers reported that they were being followed by cop-watch patrol members, Cook said.

About 5:45 p.m., cop watchers showed up at the scene of a domestic disturbance in the 2200 block of Ruth Street, where officers were responding to a 911 call about a woman pointing a rifle at another woman. That’s when the trouble began.

“They basically inserted themselves into a police call for service. This is something different from what we’ve seen,” Cook said.

“Typically they will film at a certain distance on traffic stops. On this occasion, they drove to an emergency domestic disturbance where officers were trying to handle that situation.”

Cook said Frias yelled at and physically confronted an elderly woman who reportedly told the cop watchers to be quieter and to let the officers do their job.

“She was afraid for her safety, requiring the officers to intervene,” Cook said.

Frias, 26, was arrested. He is accused of interfering with public duties, a Class B misdemeanor, and was cited for assault by threat. He was released from the Arlington Jail on $1,318 bail. He was not openly carrying a weapon at the time, Cook said.

On March 18, 2013, Frias was arrested by Arlington police for interfering with public duties and public intoxication, according to police records.

Actions, not just the gun

At about 10:40 p.m. Saturday, cop-watch patrol members showed up at a traffic stop in the 700 block of West Arkansas Lane, Cook said. Cordova, who was openly carrying a pre-1899 black-powder pistol, yelled obscenities at the police officer.

“The officer noticed that Mr. Cordova was wearing what appeared to be a pistol on his waist,” Cook said. “Our officers cannot look and automatically just assume it’s a pre-1899 relic. He just sees it’s a deadly weapon. By their own admission to media sources, this thing will kill you.”

The officer called for backup after Cordova refused to put his weapon away, Cook said.

“He refused to comply and began yelling threats at officers that more subjects were on their way and they were armed with rifles,” Cook said.

In an online video posted by Open Carry Tarrant County, Cordova can be heard saying, “They may arrest me” and “I want them to” as two officers approach him and tell him that he is not allowed to have his firearm there. Cordova then repeatedly points out that he is allowed under state law to openly carry his pistol and asks to speak to a police supervisor.

Police said Cordova was arrested because of his actions, not solely because of the gun.

“While carrying a deadly weapon may be lawful in some circumstances … it’s not completely legal in every instance. It cannot be carried in a manner calculated to cause alarm to others,” Cook said.

“Really and truly, Mr. Cordova’s physical actions, not just speech at the scene, interfered with the officer’s ability to focus on the inherent risk associated with traffic stops. The presence of this pistol, regardless of whether it met the legal definition of a firearm, it’s still a deadly weapon. It really exacerbated the interference and therefore it was one contributing element to his criminal conduct.”

Cordova, 27, was released from the Arlington Jail on $750 bail. His pistol was not returned, Watkins said.

‘For everyone’s safety’

Watkins said Arlington police never returned his black-powder pistol when he was arrested in September, also accused of interfering with public duties during a cop-watch patrol.

Cop-watch patrol members have been openly carrying for five months, Watkins said. The group says it is being targeted by police for trying to hold officers accountable while also exercising their right to openly carry weapons, he said.

“Arlington police keep taking liberties and freedoms in the name of safety. FBI stats show you are eight times more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist,” Watkins said. “I want to take individual responsibility to protect myself. We are doing it for everyone’s safety, including the officer.”

Arlington police said they are interested in meeting with the activists to discuss rights as well as safety concerns.

“We don’t mind them cop-watching. Just leave your guns in the car. Leave your guns at home,” Cook said.

“It just changes the dynamic when you show up with an AR-15 or an AK-47 on a traffic stop, especially in light of the national incidents that are occurring.”

Two New York police officers were fatally shot Dec. 20, and shots were also fired at law enforcement officers in Durham, N.C., Los Angeles and Pasco County, Fla., between Dec. 25 and Dec. 28, according to media reports.

On Monday, Fort Worth police arrested a 17-year-old who is accused of posting a picture on Twitter of a long rifle aimed at a marked Fort Worth patrol car with the caption “Should I do it? They Don’t Care For a Black Male Anyways.”

The “rifle” turned out to be a pellet gun, but that wasn’t apparent from the picture, a police spokeswoman said.