IRON COUNTY, Utah — Body camera video shows officers removing Ammon Bundy from his pickup and carrying him to a patrol vehicle after he refused to exit during a traffic stop, KUTV reports.
An Iron County deputy stopped Bundy on Oct. 7 on Interstate 15 near New Harmony because his Ford F-250 did not have a license plate, according to KUTV.
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Bundy, described by ABC News as an anti-government activist, ran for governor of Idaho in 2022. He was one of the leaders of the 2016 armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon and was involved in a 2014 standoff with federal agents over cattle grazing fees near Bunkerville, Nevada. He was acquitted in the Oregon case, and charges from the 2014 standoff were dismissed.
“There’s no plate on the truck. Is there a reason for that?” the deputy can be heard asking on body camera video.
Bundy provided an expired Idaho driver’s license and acknowledged that the truck was not registered, according to a probable cause statement cited by The Salt Lake Tribune.
Later in the video, Bundy can be heard saying, “God gave me that right to travel.”
The deputy told Bundy he planned to impound the truck and ordered him to get out. Bundy refused, according to KUTV.
Additional deputies and state troopers arrived. Video shows officers opening the driver’s door and pulling Bundy from the truck.
According to the probable cause statement cited by The Tribune, Bundy gripped the steering wheel as officers tried to remove him. Once on the ground, he held his arms rigid against his body to prevent officers from taking him into custody, the deputy wrote.
“You’re taking liberties away from people,” Bundy said while getting handcuffed.
After handcuffing Bundy, four officers carried him by his arms and legs to a patrol vehicle. He was booked into the Iron County Jail and released on bail a short time later, KUTV reports.
Bundy was charged with interfering with a peace officer, failure to obey an officer, driving without registration and having no valid license, The Tribune reports.
Bundy was taken to jail and released on bail a short time later, KUTV reports. His arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 1.
In an Oct. 28 interview with the station, Bundy said he bought the truck new in 2020 and had never registered it. He said he recovered it after paying more than $1,100 in fees and fines, but it still did not have a license plate.
Bundy maintained that he does not need a driver’s license or vehicle registration and said he intends to contest the charges.
