Video showing campus police officer seizing cash from man's wallet causes outrage

BERKELEY, Calif. — A University of California, Berkeley, police officer taking the cash out of a hot dog vendor's wallet has caused outrage in the community.

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An alum took cellphone video of the campus police officer citing a street food vendor for not having a proper license. The video, taken after Saturday's Cal football game, also shows the officer going through the street vendor's wallet and taking out his cash.

KTVU reports that Cal alum, Martin Flores, asked, "Are you going to take his hard-earned money?"

The officer responds, “Yup.”

Flores then says, "People can drink on campus on football games and no ticket, but a hard-working man, selling hot dogs, earning a living, gets his money taken away and a ticket."

The officers said that the street vendor didn't have the proper permit for selling food.

"That's not right," Flores repeatedly says in the back of the video.

The video has gone viral on Twitter.

The street vendor told Flores his name was Juan. Flores told KTVU he was buying hot dogs when the officer came up, and he took out his cellphone.

A food vendor permit costs $240 in Berkeley, KTVU reports, and requires a lot of paperwork.

University of California at Berkeley Vice Chancellor Scott Biddy said on Monday that the university is investigating what happened. He said that the university has instructed its officers to monitor illegal vending outside the venues.

"This action has been motivated at least in part by issues of public health, the interests of local small businesses and even human trafficking," Biddy told KTVU.

He also said the university's practice is to issue warnings before writing a citation.

UC Berkeley police said they have a right to seize money if there is an arrest, or in this case, a citation.

Students told KTVU that they wished officers were focusing on robberies and larcenies instead of vendors. They have started a petition to remove the police officer from the UC Berkeley Campus Police force.

Flores decided to start a GoFundMe for Juan. So far, it's raised more than $51,000.

Cox Media Group