Suitter posted his cell-phone video on YouTube the next day, and after just four days, it has already been seen more than 10,000, not counting the 41,000 views on the video-sharing site LiveLeak.com.
"I would never have published the footage if it hadn't been for the controversy surrounding it," Suitter says. "Nothing ever would have been done with that footage."
This isn't Suitter's first on-air confrontation with the law. He was arrested for trespassing at the St. Charles County Republican caucus in 2012 when he wouldn't stop filming despite a caucus ban on recording. Brent Stafford of O'Fallon was also detained and posted the two videos leading up to arrest:
Suitter even published a video tutorial called "How to handle police interrogations," outlining three steps to avoid "potential trouble": film the officer, have someone film you while you film the officer and respond to all inquiries with "I don't answer questions."
Follow Lindsay Toler on Twitter at @StLouisLindsay. E-mail the author at [email protected].
