An FBI agent who was checking out a complaint about police corruption in northwest Florida was handcuffed in the back of a patrol car after he ran into people who doubted his true identity.
Special Agent Hatten traveled from Panama City to Carrabelle to inquire about a citation the Franklin County Sheriff's Office gave to a prominent businesswoman but later withdrew from the courthouse.
The confrontation between Hatten and the deputies was caught on body cam video. During the six minutes he was locked in the cruiser, Hatten cried out for air and demanded to be released.
The veteran FBI agent said that he couldn't believe it was happening.
The FBI is looking into the incident that happened in a parking lot off U.S. Highway 98 in the coastal fishing community.
Hatten scheduled an interview with deputy Rolf Gordon to talk about the ticket. Gordon suspected Hatten was not really a federal agent.
The tags on the agent's vehicle didn't match the ones on the government agency. After a check of his license, his name popped up on a terrorist watch list, according to body cam footage and Sheriff A.J. Smith.
The story, which has been making rounds in Franklin County political circles, came to light after the Democrat obtained the body cam footage, police reports and other documents through a public records request.
FBI eyebrows were raised by the dismissed traffic ticket.
Recent public corruption investigations in North Florida have led to numerous guilty pleas from government officials, including former Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox.
It is unclear whether the FBI interest in the Sheriff's Office goes beyond a traffic ticket. Smith said his opponents likely complained to the FBI to score political points.
He said that they must have told them that the sheriff was corrupt. It is certainly not true.
Smith said he was not aware of any federal investigation into his office. The FBI could not confirm or deny an investigation.
The situation could have gotten out of hand and put officers in danger. The agent refused to put his hands down even after the deputy told him he could.
Hatten said that he didn't want to be shot out here.
Gordon said he didn't want to be shot.
A retired New York City police captain and professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice said that the incident could have ended in violence.
He said that there could have been an emotional reaction from all of the parties. There is a chance of a tragedy if you have a confrontation between a uniform officer and a plainclothes officer.
The FBI acknowledged it is reviewing the incident, but declined to comment in detail.
The FBI remains committed to full coordination with all of our law enforcement partners, and we will continue to work with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office to strengthen the relationship.
Gordon gave a traffic ticket to a local businesswoman for leaving the scene of a crash. The ticket in question was not normally handled by the FBI.
The driver asked for an internal review after he was fined. The ticket was picked up by the sheriff before it could be entered into the system. Prosecutors dismissed it for lack of evidence after the Sheriff's Office handed it over.
On the day of the incident, Hatten rang Gordon on his personal cell phone and said he was an FBI agent. The deputy wrote that he wanted to meet with Gordon to discuss something in Carrabelle.
At the meeting spot, Hatten flashed his FBI credentials and said he had spent the last 31 years investigating police corruption and civil rights violations. He wanted to talk about the ticket.
Gordon called his supervisor to find out what was going on. The interview would have to be done through the Sheriff's Office.
The agent's demeanor seemed to change as if he was upset.
The deputy activated his body camera after he was convinced that the mystery man may be a fraud.
There is something wrong with this.
Gordon was asked to turn the camera off by Hatten. Gordon declined.
I don't know how legitimate you are at the moment, the deputy said.
Gordon asked Hatten for his business card, but the agent said he doesn't give them out.
Gordon said over his radio that he didn't believe it.
The Advanced Wiring Company in Jacksonville was where Hatten's car came back to. Hatten was asked if he worked for the company. Hatten said it was a covert vehicle.
The agent wouldn't say how he got the deputy's cell phone or answer other questions, prompting the deputy to detain him.
Gordon said he was not cuffing you.
Hatten asked Gordon to take his gun but then reversed himself, saying he didn't have permission to disarm him.
The agent reported what was happening. He explained on the phone that the situation had gotten out of hand after he talked to Gordon.
The agent told the man to call the sheriff and let him know that he was being held.
Gordon told Hatten he didn't show his badges. The deputy was asked to take it by Hatten.
The agent asked if you didn't see a Badge. You don't need to be a deputy.
Gordon's colleagues arrived at the scene with stunning news: Hatten's name came back on a terrorist watch list.
Someone asked if it was serious.
Detective Matt Coleman swore to the Lord Jesus.
The watch list seemed to be confused by the deputies. One person told Hatten that his name was on the list and that law enforcement should use extreme caution.
Smith said that Hatten's name was linked to the watch list after the Sheriff's Office ran his license through the state's Driver and Vehicle Information Database. The document showing Hatten on the list is exempt from public record laws.
Hatten was handcuffed and removed a handgun from his hip holster.
Gordon said that they are running your name through multiple federal databases. You are also on a terror watch list. We will secure you for your protection.
They put him in the back of Gordon's car. The agent started yelling for help.
Hatten said he needed air brother.
Gordon said he was turning it on.
Hatten cried, "No you don't brother, you're burning me up." I need some air. God almighty!
The officer on the radio said he was on the phone with the supervisor.
The officer said that he was legit.
After being released, Hatten repeatedly asked for help, saying he needed medical attention. He radioed FBI dispatch as he peeled off his sweater.
He asked for help. I have been in a car. They have had me smoking in the back.
A common symptom of heat stroke is vision problems, and the agent complained about it.
Hatten said that he had lost his vision.
Emergency medical workers loaded him into an ambulance. Hatten wanted to be taken to a hospital in Florida. He was not sure if he was hurt.
One officer joked about the nominee for best actor.
The deputy denied that Gordon had the heat on in his car. Gordon said he turned the air conditioner on full blast after the agent complained.
Gordon noted in his report that it was 66 degrees outside. When Hatten was discharged from the hospital, Sheriff Smith said there was nothing wrong.
The FBI wouldn't say if Hatten was hurt. The sheriff may have overstepped in his assessment of the agent.
Only a patient can tell the medical provider about a patient's condition, according to the FBI.
In the hours after Hatten was released, FBI agents and brass descended on the area, meeting with Gordon and the sheriff to find out what happened and why. Gordon said he answered their questions honestly.
Smith arrived at the scene moments before Hatten was released. He said Gordon was on the side of caution.
With the information and knowledge that he had, I think he handled it well.
The former NYPD officer said he did not believe the deputies did anything wrong at the scene. The FBI agent could have arranged for an interview in an office. He could not speak to the agency's investigative techniques in the Carrabelle inquiry.
Smith said that most of his deputies have never seen a name on a terrorist watch list.
He said that they don't see them often in the county. We need to know who their people are. They agree.
Larry Keefe is the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
At the time of the incident, the sheriff's office didn't have solid lines of communication with the FBI. He said that now they do.
Smith said that they would try to use this to make both agencies work better.
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow him on social media.
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Body cam footage shows an FBI agent locked in a cop car.
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