Chris LeDay didn’t shoot the video of Louisiana police officers firing six shots into Alton Sterling’s chest and killing him, but the Georgia resident was instrumental in helping the video go viral. With 21,000 social media followers, LeDay’s video, posted July 5, quickly spread through the internet like wildfire and helped publicize the police shooting. Unfortunately, helping get the word out about another police shooting may have landed him jail.
The 34-year-old tells Photography Is Not A Crime that he was placed in handcuffs and leg shackles and “detained by at least 10 military police officers with guns and M-16s” 24 hours after posting the video. And if that wasn’t terrifying enough, it all happened at Dobbins Air Reserve Base where LeDay works as an aerospace ground equipment technician.
While in holding, law enforcement agents reportedly told LeDay he had an assault and battery warrant out for his arrest. However, once transported to Dunwoody police station, officers told LeDay he was arrested for unpaid tickets.
“It was just over some traffic tickets from a couple of years ago,” he told PINAC. “They said my license was suspended. At the time, I couldn’t afford it, then I was just being stubborn about it.” LeDay also revealed that he doesn’t even drive and takes an Uber to work every day. “But I take Uber to work anyway. Even one of the cops on the base said he sees me getting dropped off for work.”
LeDay says he was transported to Dekalb County Jail where he spent 26 hours before paying his $1,321 fine and finally being released. LeDay thinks this was all a set up to help get him fired. Luckily, his boss laughed off the whole thing after learning LeDay was only arrested for unpaid tickets.
A similar situation happened to Ramsey Orta, the witness who filmed cops choking and killing Eric Garner in 2014. Orta was shortly arrested after the video went viral and was recently sentenced to four years in prison on weapons and drug charges.