Troy police bodycam shows officer using taser on sovereign citizen, Andy Mencin, during traffic stop
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The police department here is reviewing procedures after video surfaced this week showing an officer’s confrontation with anti-government "sovereign citizens," pulled over for speeding and driving with fake plates.
Andrew and Aaliyah Mencin, of Troy, posted police body cam footage of the incident over the weekend on TikTok and YouTube, drawing thousands of comments. The couple say they were abused in front of their children, and now want the police officer fired, and the department investigated for wrongdoing.
The video shows an officer hit Andy Mencin with a Taser at least three times. Aaliyah Mencin can be seen being pulled from the car and hitting her head on the ground, causing her to be knocked unconscious.
Troy police issued a statement this week, describing the couple as combative and resisting arrest. But it added that the July 11 incident was "disheartening" and preventable. The department is reviewing its policies "to ensure they align with best practices in de-escalation and community-oriented policing."
Police officials did not say what, if anything, the officer did that night to de-escalate the situation.
"We want to assure the public that we take this matter seriously and are fully cooperating with the Lincoln County Prosecutor's Office through the course of this investigation and prosecution," the department said.
Troy Police Chief Jeff Taylor did not return phone or email messages seeking comment Wednesday. In the statement on Facebook Tuesday, the police department said Officer Todd Plumb tried to pull the couple over, but the couple drove another sixth-tenth of a mile before stopping on a dead-end road and being combative.
Lincoln County Prosecutor Michael Wood told the Post-Dispatch that his office is also reviewing the police actions that night.
"We are looking into it still further," Wood said Wednesday. "We will take seriously any issues of criminal behavior on the part of law enforcement."
Andy Mencin, 33, works as an auto mechanic. He said in an interview that he has high-functioning autism, ADHD and epilepsy. He said he was driving his wife's Audi that night with a license plate he calls a Z plate. They bought it for $25 on the internet. It features an eagle, a sideways flag and the words "Private automobile not for hire."
He said they drove with it for three months and had never been stopped by police. Andy Mencin said he didn't get a regular license plate because he didn't have money for insurance. He insists the state should recognize the plate.
"It falls under 'truth in lending,'" Andy Mencin said.
The Post-Dispatch sent a copy of the plate to the Missouri Department of Revenue on Wednesday, and a spokesperson for that office said it is not a valid plate.
Wood's office charged Mencin with felony property damage for allegedly damaging the inside of a police car. He is also charged with two misdemeanors: resisting arrest and fourth-degree assault. He was not charged with speeding or any license plate violation.
Wood's office initially charged the wife, 29, with resisting arrest but dropped those charges.