‘Volunteer firefighters?’ Fire chief fights cops in traffic stop, Missouri video shows

A Missouri fire chief is accused of fighting police officers who asked if he was a volunteer, authorities say.

Bourbon Fire Protection District Fire Chief Daniel Whatley was arrested after the tussle with police officers was captured by dash camera video, police say. He was charged with assault, resisting arrest and armed criminal action.

On Friday, a Bourbon officer pulled over an SUV with three men and a woman after spotting it drive through a stop sign in the small town about 80 miles southwest of St. Louis, police say.

The driver and passengers exited the vehicle as the officer parked behind their car at a residence, the video shows. The officer ordered them to return to the vehicle, but Whatley approached him instead.

“I’m the (expletive) fire chief here in this town,” Whatley can be heard saying.

“So why are you driving so fast? And why are you calling me a (expletive)?” the officer responded.

The officer called for backup after Whatley again refused to return to the vehicle and continued using profanity. After more officers arrived, the scene remained calm until an officer asked a question that apparently upset Whatley.

“So you’re saying you guys are what? Volunteer firefighters?” the officer asked.

That sparked a fight that can be heard but not seen in the video.

“Taser! Taser! Taser!” an officer yells, and the clicking sound of a stun gun can be heard.

When an officer spotted a firearm in a belt on Whatley’s lower back, he grabbed it and slid it under a patrol car during the tussle, police say. As Whatley wrestled the officer, a woman and a man fought with an officer and attempted to reach for the firearm, police say.

More police officers arrived, and Whatley and two others were taken into custody.

The Bourbon Fire Protection District said Whatley is now suspended during an investigation, KMOV reported.