UPDATE: Man Arrested For Not Showing His Papers Has Charges Dismissed
Left: Kyle Hammond (h/t Bill McKelway)
RICHMOND, Va. — A man facing obstruction of justice charges for making a video recording of the outside of the Richmand FBI headquarters had his case thrown out this Monday.
The judge assigned to the case dismissed the charges against Kyle Hammond, 27, just minutes after the trial started.
TruthVoice previously reported Hammond’s arrest, which was recorded and uploaded to YouTube, where it has since gone viral. During the video, Hammond was placed in handcuffs for failing to produce identification documents. It was later confirmed that Hammond had not violated any law.
According to a report from the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Hammond said after court that he has been filming federal buildings as part of an unspecified project. FBI security personnel at the headquarters on East Parham Road called Henrico police when they observed a man filming their building from a short distance away.
“Everything he did was within his legal rights,” Coatsworth [Hammond’s attorney] said after court Monday.
A video of the incident in which Hammond was arrested is available below:
Hammond has not commented on whether he intends to press charges or file a lawsuit for the false arrest. To date, Henrico County Police Officer John L. Hughson has yet to be charged with kidnapping or assault.
