It’s not often that video footage of a young black man and a pair of police officers brings a smile to my face, but when these clips of Samir Hill obliterating these cops on the basketball court went viral, I had to make an exception. That is until news dropped that, in West Philly, when you cross over a cop, you end up in handcuffs.

https://instagram.com/p/1LbI3BhQaK/?taken-by=shallo_tattoo_kiing

Earlier this month, Samir was home from Allegany College for spring break when he and his friend, Josh, headed over to the playground courts to shoot around. During a playful game of 2 on 2 with some younger neighborhood kids, the officers approached and began talking smack. (You know, because heckling kids on a basketball court is just a great way for civil servants to spend an afternoon). Samir challenged them to a game and, let’s just say he didn’t hold back with the ankle breaking crossovers. The officers left the courts with bruised egos, but not before Samir had scored on both of them, even sending one to the ground as he tripped over himself.

A few days later, after Chad Johnson and a few thousand others shared the footage of the cops’ devastating loss, things escalated. The same two officers dragged Samir into the police station and handcuffed him to a bench for an hour and a half while they searched his car, claiming they were looking for contraband they’d seen earlier. Finding nothing in their lengthy search of the car, the dynamic duo took another L and eventually let him go.

So for anyone keeping track, we’re adding pickup basketball to the list of things not to do in front of cops. Unless, of course, you’re in the mood to be arrested or harassed, in which case, work on your cross overs and when you dunk on an officer in your hometown, just be sure to put it on the gram’.

UPDATE: *read the interview with Samir breaking down the arrest after the game.

Kayci Ortiz

Writing since April 2015 · 2 stories contributed