A Tennessee cop is the subject of derision after a pair of viral TikTok videos showed him arresting two Latino men at a Waffle House for “hootin’ and hollerin'” during his coffee break.
The incident took place on October 10 at 3:40 a.m. at the Waffle House on Highway 411 in Madisonville, Tennessee, according to The Advocate & Democrat.
Carlos Geana, one of the men who was arrested, said he and his friend were arrested "for playing some Laberinto music at the Waffle House."
The videos show Officer Wes Martin approaching them and accusing them of "causing a scene." Telling Geana that he can eat in peace, or you can go to jail," he handcuffed him, led him outside, and put him in the back of his police cruiser.
Geana's friend, Rodriguez Escobar, followed them outside and continued to film.
You can watch what happened in the pair of videos below.
@jarochito51 #fyp funny how they can just accuse you with out proof of anything I respect the law but not this kind 1,200 dollars later
@jarochito51 #fyp now this is wrong people took my friend to jail too for recording
When Escobar tries to tell Martin that he and Geana were "just having a good time," Martin replies:
"You were the one who was in there hootin' and' hollerin' and everything else. I stood up and shook my head at him to tell you to be quiet. And then I have to come over to tell you to be quiet again."
"He caused a scene inside the store. ... I'm sitting over here drinking my coffee, I like to it drink in peace, instead of y'all yellin' and screamin' and hollerin' and whistlin'."
Martin says he's going to arrest Escobar for public intoxication after claiming to smell alcohol on him and once Escobar opens the door of the police cruiser to hear what Geana is trying to say to him.
Escobar later said that he and Geana spent about 12 hours in jail.
According to The Advocate & Democrat, Martin, who had previously arrested a man at the same Waffle House on a public intoxication charge, said he told the men twice to be quiet because they were "whistling loudly and yelling":
"Martin said he asked the men a third time to calm down, but Gaena began to talk louder and Martin said he could smell alcohol coming from Gaena and his eyes were extremely red. Martin said it appeared obvious Gaena was under the influence and he placed him under arrest."
"The other man, Rodriguez Escobar, also smelled of alcohol and appeared to be under the influence, was unsteady on his feet and had slurred speech. He too was placed under arrest."
The incident sparked significant outrage on social media, with many calling for Martin to be fired.
Martin is currently running for a seat on the Monroe County Commission, according to a Facebook page.
Although the men, who were charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication, had their charges dropped, Geana said he had to pay a $1,200 fine.
