Oh, for Pete’s sake. This is lunacy.

A police car dash cam video obtained by MLive and The Grand Rapids Press shows the encounter between Grand Rapids Police officers and open-carry advocate Johann Deffert that sparked a federal lawsuit.

Deffert’s suit – filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids – is against the city, Police Chief Kevin Belk, Officer William Moe and two other officers.

In response to request for video of the encounter, the city has released in-car video of the March 3 incident. The camera view shows only a portion of the encounter, but it captures extensive audio from the day in question.

I’m going to make a few comments, and walk away.

1. Prior to making the stop, the officer claims Defferts is talking to himself… yet Defferts is at least 30 yards away, on the opposite side of the street, walking in the opposite direction. This officer has incredibly good eyesight, or is of questionable honesty.
2. The officer yells at Defferts to get on the ground, draws his sidearm, and then clearly muzzles a vehicle at eye level after waving it by, not to mentioning pointing his sidearm at Defferts.
3. I see no reason whatsoever for the officer to point a firearm at a citizen who had not made any move towards grasping a firearm, and who is not reasonably suspected of committing any crimes.
4. The officer surprisingly doesn’t understand how a simple retention holster works.
5. Defferts clearly knows the law far better than the responding officers.

Now, whether any of that is enough for Defferts to win a civil suit is not something I can determine, but he was clearly in the right here.