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CBKN76KeymasterViral Wawa Gas Station Arrest in Martin County (Feb 13, 2025)
Incident Overview and Video
On February 13, 2025, Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) deputies confronted a young man (identified as Aiden Singleton, a YouTuber) and his girlfriend Giselle “Gisselle” Flores during a traffic stop at a Wawa gas station in Stuart, Florida
. Aiden was recording the encounter on his phone when deputies ordered him to stop filming and forcibly took his phone away, apparently to prevent documentation
. The deputies also demanded ID from Giselle, who was only a passenger. When she refused (arguing she wasn’t legally required to identify herself as a mere passenger), one deputy proceeded to arrest Giselle for “resisting”
. Body-camera footage of the incident was later obtained and went viral on social media – clips were widely shared on YouTube and TikTok, drawing outrage. In the video, the officers can be seen telling the driver to stop recording and aggressively handcuffing the passenger for not showing ID
. The footage led many viewers to accuse the deputies of violating the couple’s constitutional rights, specifically the First Amendment right to film police and the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable seizure (since Florida law does not generally require passengers to carry ID during a traffic stop)
.
Viral Spread: Aiden posted the encounter online, and it quickly gained traction. A TikTok clip amassed over 1.7 million views in a week, and a YouTube video titled “SHOCKING! Deputies ILLEGALLY Arrest Woman & ORDER Driver to STOP Recording!” garnered hundreds of thousands of views
. The incident was even highlighted by popular police-audit channels like Long Island Audit, amplifying public attention. On Reddit and Facebook, local community pages lit up with criticism – one user wrote “I just saw a video of your deputies violating the constitutional rights of a couple of people… [requiring] a passenger to ID”, calling the arrest “highly” improper
. Many commenters noted that passengers are not legally obligated to present ID absent reasonable suspicion of a crime, citing case law to label the deputies “uneducated” on the law
. Overall, the video’s spread put a national spotlight on the Martin County Sheriff’s Office for alleged civil rights violations.
Deputies Involved and Identification
MCSO Deputy Names: The sheriff’s office has not formally released the deputies’ names as of the latest updates
. However, independent observers identified two MCSO deputies in the bodycam footage. According to activists sharing the video, the primary officer who initiated the stop and confiscated Aiden’s phone is Deputy Nicolas Biondo, and the deputy who physically arrested Giselle is Deputy Matthew Dunlop (both are road-patrol deputies with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office)
. (Note: These names were inferred from the bodycam and context; MCSO has neither confirmed nor denied the identities.) In the video, one deputy is heard asserting his authority to demand ID from the passenger and later telling the driver “you think you know the law?” during the confrontation
. The second deputy assists in handcuffing Giselle when she does not produce identification. Both deputies appear in uniform, and their badge/name tags are visible on the footage, allowing viewers to discern their identities.
Witnesses reported that one of the involved officers may have held a supervisory rank at the scene. Regardless of rank, both deputies participated directly – one by ordering and enforcing the phone seizure, and the other by leading the disputed arrest of the passenger. This tandem action has made them the focus of intense scrutiny and public ire online.
Official Response and Investigation
Sheriff’s Office Reaction: The Martin County Sheriff’s Office has not issued a formal press release naming the deputies or detailing the incident, but Sheriff William Snyder has become aware of the viral video and the controversy surrounding it
. Internal sources indicate that an internal affairs investigation is underway to review the deputies’ conduct. While the MCSO did not initially comment publicly, the surge of attention and accusations of constitutional violations have put pressure on the agency to respond. Local media reports that Sheriff Snyder is reviewing the deputies’ body-camera footage and the arrest report as part of this inquiry. Community members have flooded the MCSO’s social media pages, demanding accountability. In one public Facebook group, residents tagged the Sheriff’s Office and pointed out that “case law… does not require any passenger to ID”, urging the agency to acknowledge the mistake
. So far, no disciplinary action has been announced pending the outcome of the investigation.
Charges and Legal Developments: After the Wawa gas station arrest, Giselle Flores was booked into Martin County Jail on a charge of Resisting Arrest Without Violence, a first-degree misdemeanor
. According to the arrest affidavit, once at the jail she provided her true identity to authorities (having initially refused to do so at the scene)
. No other criminal charges (such as failing to carry ID or any underlying infraction) were filed against her – underscoring critics’ argument that the arrest was solely about noncompliance with an unlawful order. Giselle was released on bail and has retained an attorney. Her case is pending in county court; any potential trial or dismissal will hinge on whether the traffic stop and ID demand are deemed lawful. Notably, Florida law (and precedent) holds that a passenger is not required to identify themselves during a traffic stop unless they are suspected of a crime
. Giselle’s legal team has signaled they will challenge the arrest on that basis.
Meanwhile, Aiden (the driver) was not arrested or charged during the incident. He did, however, temporarily lose possession of his phone when the deputy seized it. Aiden’s footage was preserved (likely via cloud backup or separate device) and formed the basis of the viral videos. Aiden has filed an official complaint with the Sheriff’s Office and is cooperating with civil rights groups examining the case. Prominently, Aiden stated his intention to pursue a federal civil rights lawsuit against Martin County and the deputies involved
. In mid-March, the Long Island Audit channel reported that a “federal lawsuit [is] incoming” over the incident
. If filed, such a lawsuit would allege First Amendment retaliation (for taking the recording device) and Fourth Amendment violations (unlawful detention/arrest of the passenger). The couple’s attorney has indicated they may also seek charges for false arrest and interference with the right to film police.
Local civil liberties advocates (including the ACLU of Florida) have taken interest. They note that courts have consistently upheld the public’s right to record law enforcement in public places, and that simply recording police “is not a crime”
. They also emphasize Florida’s “Stop and ID” law applies only to lawfully detained persons or drivers, not random passengers – echoing the widespread sentiment that this arrest lacked legal basis
. These points will likely feature in any court proceedings or settlement discussions.
Public Outrage and Commentary
The incident has drawn intense public criticism. On social media, thousands of comments poured in condemning the deputies’ actions. Viewers described the video as “tyrannical” and “unconstitutional”
. Many saw the phone seizure as a blatant violation of Aiden’s First Amendment rights. “They really snatched his phone because he was filming – that’s textbook illegal,” one YouTube commenter wrote. Likewise, Giselle’s arrest for refusal to show ID provoked anger and confusion. Users across TikTok and YouTube pointed out that “Florida law doesn’t require passengers to carry ID unless they’re suspected of a crime,” calling the deputies’ demand a form of harassment
. Even some self-described law-and-order folks questioned the deputies’ judgment in this scenario.
Local community figures weighed in as well. In the Martin County News Facebook group (32,000+ members), residents debated the incident heatedly. A former police officer commented that the deputies should have known better, citing the landmark Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District ruling (which allows states to mandate ID only when officers have lawful cause) and noting that “Florida has no stop-and-ID for passengers.” Another member tagged Sheriff Snyder directly, writing “this is a bad look for the county – your deputies need a refresher on constitutional rights”
. That post garnered dozens of likes and “Amen” replies, showing a strong local consensus that the stop was mishandled. News outlets have also begun to pick up the story: while no extensive press release exists yet, WPTV News and WPBF 25 have mentioned they are “looking into a viral video involving Martin County deputies at a gas station”. The general public reaction has been overwhelmingly negative toward the Sheriff’s Office, with calls for the deputies to be reprimanded or re-trained.
Not all commentary was one-sided, however. A small number of online commenters defended the deputies, speculating that the stop might have been justified by a seatbelt violation or other infraction (for example, if Giselle wasn’t wearing her seatbelt, that is a citable offense requiring ID). “If she didn’t have her seatbelt on, they have every right to ask for ID,” one TikTok user argued, suggesting the deputies may have had a lawful reason to demand her identification
. Others simply cautioned that the video might not show the whole context. These minority views, however, have been largely overshadowed by the outcry accusing the deputies of overreach.
History of Misconduct or Complaints
Given the current investigation, the personal histories of the involved deputies are under the microscope. At this time, no extensive public disciplinary records have surfaced regarding Deputy Biondo or Deputy Dunlop. Neither deputy was previously well-known to the public. A preliminary search of lawsuits and complaints in Martin County did not find past lawsuits specifically against them, suggesting they have not been involved in notable prior incidents (unlike some other MCSO deputies)
. However, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office as an agency has dealt with serious misconduct scandals in recent years, which critics are now recalling in light of this case. For example, in 2019, MCSO Deputy Steven O’Leary was exposed for falsifying drug arrests, leading to at least 11 wrongfully arrested people being exonerated. And just last year, another deputy (Yerandy Cairo) was arrested for stalking a woman in an unrelated case. These incidents, while not directly related, have contributed to community skepticism toward the sheriff’s office’s conduct and training.
In online discussions, some have speculated that the Wawa stop might be indicative of a pattern of overstepping by certain Martin County deputies. A few commenters claimed to recognize one of the officers from a prior traffic stop video, alleging he has a “reputation for being heavy-handed”, though no formal complaints were cited. The Sheriff, William Snyder, is a former Florida state legislator known for taking misconduct seriously – in the stalking case, Snyder publicly stated “we are very alarmed by his behavior” and promptly suspended that deputy
. It remains to be seen if Snyder will take similar decisive action here. If the internal investigation finds that the deputies violated policy or citizens’ rights, they could face disciplinary measures ranging from retraining to suspension or termination. Additionally, if Aiden and Giselle follow through with a civil lawsuit, any past complaints or internal affairs records on these deputies would likely come to light during discovery. For now, their public service records appear relatively clean, but the outcome of this February 13 incident may well become the defining mark of their careers if misconduct is confirmed.
Current Status and Looking Ahead
As of late March 2025, this incident remains under active review. Giselle Flores’s criminal case for resisting arrest is pending – her defense is expected to argue that the arrest was unlawful from the start. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office has indicated it will “review all relevant footage and reports to determine if policies were violated”, but final results of the internal probe have not been released. In the court of public opinion, however, a verdict has largely been reached: most observers view the deputies’ actions as a clear overreach and infringement of rights. The phrase “Know the law!” has been echoed by many, throwing back the deputy’s own taunt that Aiden “think[s] [he] know[s] the law”– observers assert the deputies are the ones who need a better grasp of the law they are sworn to uphold.
Both Aiden and Giselle have stated they are determined to seek justice not just for themselves but “so this doesn’t happen to someone else.” Their situation has sparked a broader local conversation about police training, accountability, and civilians’ rights during traffic stops. It also serves as a cautionary tale to other law enforcement officers: in the age of smartphones and social media, heavy-handed tactics can and will be exposed to public scrutiny in an instant. This case in Martin County highlights the importance of respecting citizens’ right to record and knowing the limits of police authority regarding ID requests. As one commenter succinctly put it: “Badges don’t place you above the Constitution.”
Sources: Official social media posts and public comments
; viral bodycam footage analysis by Long Island Audit (YouTube, Mar. 2025)
; local news reporting by WPTV and WPBF on related MCSO incidents
; and Martin County Clerk records for charges against Giselle Flores
. (No formal press release from MCSO was available as of this writing.)
[Return to blog post](https://watchaudits.com/martin-county-sheriffs-office-has-some-of-the-dumbest-deputies/)
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