The mother of the law student killed by Utah police earlier this month considered herself a “sovereign citizen” and had a similar encounter with police last year, though she survived her encounter.
Chase Allan, 25, was fatally shot in Farmington, Utah on March 1 during a traffic stop.
His family have since said they found out their son had been killed through the news and that police have not been cooperative in answering their questions.
In the two weeks after the fatal encounter, it came to light that Allan’s mother, Diane Killian Allan, claimed in a September 2022 lawsuit that she is a sovereign citizen and does not fall under the jurisdiction of Farmington City or any government in the United States.
The lawsuit stemmed from a traffic stop in April 2022 for an expired vehicle registration, which is the same violation her son would be pulled over for nearly a year later.
In 2022, Allan’s mother Diane was pulled over for driving without a license. She also refused to answer the police officers’ questions. Now, she’s suing the police department.
Diane Allan questions the officer who arrested her on April 7, 2022
During the interaction, Diane Allan is seen on police body camera footage asking what the “probable cause” was for the arrest, to which the officer explained it was her “expired record”.
“That’s not probable cause,” he said, declining to provide his name or tell the officer if the care was insured or registered.
The officer can be heard at one point during the recording calling a colleague to ask how to handle the situation.
Is it worth taking her out of the car and arresting her for not identifying herself? asks the officer.
‘No. Probably not, ”his colleague replied.
The colleague suggested instead that the officer brand Allan as not having a driver’s license and an expired vehicle registration.
Dispatch can also be heard on the call telling the officer that the woman has a concealed firearms permit.
Finally, Allan handed over his passport and a copy of the constitution. He eventually received two tickets that totaled approximately $100.
In her lawsuit, she asserted that she is not under the jurisdiction of the city, state, or the United States, arguing instead that she is a sovereign citizen.
She argued that she had an “inherent right” to travel in Farmington without being stopped by the police.
Chase Allan was named in the lawsuit and accompanied his mother to the Farmington Police Department to return the documents the officer had thrown out the car window.
The officer told Diane Allan that if she did not search her vehicle, it would be impounded.
The witness then responded: ‘That’s a threat.’
The officer said, “No, it’s a promise, it’s a promise,” according to the lawsuit.
While it’s unclear whether Chase Allan also considered himself a sovereign citizen, police said he “asserted his independence from the laws of the land” during the fatal traffic stop.
According to the Department of Justice, members of the Sovereign Citizen Movement are part of an “extreme anti-government movement whose members believe the government has no authority over them.”
Following Allan’s fatal shooting, five officers have been placed on administrative leave and the city says an investigation is underway.
In a statement, the department said: “During an attempt to remove the driver from the vehicle, shots were fired and the driver was wounded.”
‘At that moment, an observation officer shouted the words: ‘Gun, gun, gun!’ A struggle ensued, which seemed to last only a few seconds, and shots were heard,” police said in a statement.
Authorities added that responding officers requested backup after Chase Allan refused to get out of his vehicle.
In the aftermath of her son’s death, Diane Allan told local media that the family was not properly notified of Chase’s death, nor were they allowed to see him.
“Our family was not properly notified of Chase’s death as next of kin. We learned of Chase’s death along with our entire community through news reporters and articles written online,” he said.
Nearly a year before Farmington police shot and killed Chase Allan, his mother, Diane Allan, was taken into custody for a similar reason and body camera footage showed they both responded to officers in similar ways.
Allan is shown in the car, seconds before being shot dead. He had refused to get out of the vehicle, refused to give his name or identification, and police thought he was looking for his weapon.
Allan was a sovereign citizen (someone who doesn’t believe he has to abide by federal law) and was armed
The Allan family. Chase’s mother also calls herself a sovereign citizen.
Diane described her late son as a “kind, loving soul who everyone in his community knew was caring, caring and kind and would do anything for someone in need.”
“He was always selflessly helping and protecting others in need,” he said, adding that he was “probably terrified for his safety” during the encounter with police.
Law enforcement officers fired their weapons at his car at least 12 times.
Diane Allan said her son was “a patriot who did what he could to stand up for the freedom of people in his community.”
She said the family has “learned more from the media coverage of what occurred than anywhere else” and that the officers “claim it was a routine traffic stop, but the officer requested many other officers to be to the scene… before the stop”.
“This resulted in the brutal murder of Chase at the hands of 5 Farmington police officers, who shot him while he was still in his car and likely terrified for his safety. He was fired with more than 12 bullets while he was still inside the car with the engine running and the lights on when reporters arrived.’