Police Had know Probable cause to site BUP Films, Judge rules
Charges against Detroit movie crew with fake guns dropped
George Hunter / The Detroit News
Detroit -- A judge has dismissed all charges against movie makers who were mistaken for criminals by police while they were filming a scene involving fake guns.
Four members of Detroit-based B.U.P. Films were handcuffed and ticketed after a squad of police officers converged on the crew the afternoon of Nov. 5 outside the northwest Detroit home of one of the actors.
The crew was filming "Vigilante," the story of civil rights activist Hayward Brown. One of the scenes involved guns; during the filming of that segment, Detroit Police officers arrived, their real pistols drawn.
The camera kept rolling as officers ran into view screaming, "Get on the ground! Don't move!"
The filmmakers complied and were handcuffed until the matter could be straightened out. Although the video provided by B.U.P. Films shows that an officer took the cuffs off one of the crew after he complained of an injury, other members of the company say they were kept handcuffed for more than a half-hour after police determined there was no threat.
"The whole thing was just a big mistake," said B.U.P. production assistant DeAndre King. "That's what we tried to tell the police all along, but they wouldn't listen, and even after they found out we were making a movie and weren't doing anything wrong, they still gave us tickets."
The charge of possessing and brandishing facsimile weapons falls under a city ordinance, so the case was handled in 36th District Court by Judge Joseph Baltimore.
"The judge dismissed all the charges," said Ralph Simpson, an attorney who defended B.U.P. Films on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Detroit Police 2nd Deputy Chief John Roach said the officers acted appropriately, since nobody at the city informed the department that a crew would be filming using fake guns.
"With the information the officers had at the time, they acted in the interest of public safety, not knowing they were facsimile firearms," Roach said.
ghunter@detnews.com [[313) 222-2134
Great article George Hunter!
Where do BUP FILMS do legally from here, they have choices....
Sean Brown said: "We knew justice would guide us through. Truth will always win.. Now let's see you at the movies"
Film is set for release Labor Day Weekend with a grand premiere @ Redford Theatre the only one still in Detroit.
Follow 2 weeks later AMC and Emagine Theatres will be doing regular releases.
