Earlier this year police arrested Sung-Ho Hwang for legally carrying a firearm. What made the case even more interesting was Mr. Hwang’s status as a lawyer. Not surprisingly, considering Mr. Hwang was a lawyer and partaking in an entirely legal activity, all charges against him have been dismissed:
Sung-Ho Hwang, president of the New Haven County Bar Association, was charged with breach of peace and interfering with police after officers said they found a loaded handgun in his waistband. Police say he had a permit to carry the weapon but didn’t comply with their commands.
Hugh Keefe, Hwang’s attorney, said prosecutor David Strollo agreed to drop the misdemeanor charges Monday. Strollo cited his clean record and that although police were yelling to put his hands up, Hwang didn’t know they were police because of the flash lights in his eyes, Keefe said.
[…]
Hwang said he brought the gun to protect himself late at night. Hwang, 46, said he was cooperative.
“When baseless breach of peace and interfering charges are brought against people that have a right to carry, it really threatens our constitutional right to bear arms,” Hwang said in August.
I think Mr. Hwang’s situation demonstrated two things. First it demonstrates how reactionary police officers are. Although Mr. Hwang wasn’t doing anything illegal or even showing signs of aggression the police decided to overreact, storm the theater, and hold him at gunpoint because of the situation in the Aurora, Colorado theater that happened slightly earlier in the year.
Second it demonstrated that the police will find something to charge you with if you’ve caught their eye. Since Mr. Hwang was carrying a firearm lawfully the police couldn’t charge him with illegally carrying a firearm so they did the next best thing. They charged him with breaching the peace because he didn’t cooperate with unwarranted police aggression. Even though there were no grounds to hold Mr. Hwang at gunpoint the police did so and then charged him for not submitting to their unwarranted, and I would say unlawful, aggression.