A video record

Last summer, when officers stopped and questioned a 17-year-old man carrying a Tipman 98 paintball gun one night shortly before midnight, the teen refused to give his name and began taping the encounter on his cell phone. It was later posted on YouTube. He may not have realized that police also had a tape, a least of the audio, from the patrol car.

The video by the teen can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE-K_4tzj7s&feature=youtu.be

Lt. William Browne at the Great Bend Police Department said the video by “LeRoy” was typical of several videos being uploaded at the time to emphasize the “open carry” rights of gun owners. Police do stop and question people on the streets at night, Browne said. In this case, the paintball gun was unloaded, which gives it the appearance of an AR-15 rifle, he added. The officer can be heard explaining that the city had been experiencing broken vehicle windows and paintball damage.

Although “LeRoy” sticks to his constitutional right and refuses to identify himself, the officers eventually get the information, off camera, from a 16-year-old male who was with him. After advising him of the city’s midnight curfew for teens, the officers allow him to leave.