A hot dog vendor who was cited and had money taken from his wallet by a UC Berkeley campus officer, in a clip that has gone viral, said he was just trying to support his family.
The vendor, now identified as Beto Matias, was selling the food following a football game when Officer Sean Aranas approached him, asked for his ID and took the $60 he had in his wallet.
Aranas then began writing a citation for a lack of permit as alumnus Martin Flores recorded on Saturday afternoon.
While Matias acknowledges that he did not have the proper permits, he says it does not justify the way the officer treated him.
Hot dog vendor Beto Matias (pictured), who was cited and had money taken from his wallet by a UC Berkeley campus officer, in a clip that has gone viral, said he was just trying to support his family
The clip shows Officer Sean Aranas citing Matias for operating without a permit and removing $60 in cash from his wallet (left and right). The clip was shot by alumnus Martin Flores on Saturday afternoon
Flores said he was buying a hot dog from the cart for his kids after a football game when the officer approached. After asking for Matias’s ID, Aranas took the wallet from the vendor’s hands and took out the bills, folding them in his hands (left and right)
I had already shown him my ID,’ Matias told Telemundo 48.
‘They saw that I was not doing anything wrong, neither stealing nor anything, I was just working to support my family.’
Flores, told the Los Angeles Times, he was buying a hot dog from the cart for his kids after a football game when the officer approached.
Aranas then allegedly asked for Matias’s ID. As the vendor looked through his wallet, the officer removed it from his hands.
‘That’s when I thought something was not right,’ said Flores, who pulled out his phone to record the incident.
Flores can be heard saying ‘That’s not right’ repeatedly as Aranas pulls bills from the man’s wallet.
Police told KTVU that the vendor’s money was seized as evidence
He then asks the officer why he’s taking the vendor’s ‘hard earned money’ and notes that people are drinking in public not far away, and that officers should be targeting them instead.
‘Yeah, well he doesn’t have a permit. He doesn’t have a permit,’ Aranas is seen responding. ‘Yep, this is law and order in action…Thank you for your support.’
Flores says he doesn’t think Aranas was wrong in issuing a citation for the vendor’s lack of permit but rather that the officer’s enforcement appeared to be selective.
‘If he’s really about law and order there’s really so many other things he could’ve stopped,’ Flores said.
‘I totally recognize that people have to have permits. But this wasn’t about that. This was about identifying one vendor. If you want law and order, be law and order across the board.’
Flores then asks Aranas why he’s taking the vendor’s ‘hard earned money’ and notes that people are drinking in public not far away, and that officers should be targeting them instead (left and right). Police said the cash was seized as evidence
Flores has launched a GoFundMe effort for Matias to cover his legal expenses and personal losses. So far, more than $64,000 from an initial $10,000 goal
A petition to have the officer fired had received more than 20,000 signatures as of Monday evening.
Flores has launched a GoFundMe account for Matias to cover his legal expenses and personal losses. So far, more than $64,000 has been raised from an initial $10,000 goal.
Flores has since updated the post that a public presentation will be held in Los Angeles in a couple of weeks where the money will be presented to Matias.
‘We are aware of the incident,’ UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof told Berkeleyside on Sunday. ‘The officer was tasked with enforcing violations related to vending without a permit on campus. UCPD is looking into the matter.’
UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor Scott Biddy said in a statement that the university has instructed officers to monitor illegal vending outside event venues over concerns about public health.