On May 10, 2025, Paul Wert, an intellectually and emotionally disabled CVS employee, finished his shift at 1806 South Ridgewood Avenue in Edgewater, Florida. While waiting on a bench for a Lyft ride ordered by his sister, he was approached by Edgewater Police Department Officer Daniel Rippeon. Officer Rippeon claimed Wert acted "suspiciously" and tried to hide behind a pillar—a claim later completely contradicted by police bodycam footage. When Wert explained he was just waiting for his ride, Rippeon detained him, drew a Taser, and threatened to unleash a K-9 unit on him, later stating he wanted to make Wert "learn the hard way." According to Wert's grandfather—a retired South Daytona police sergeant—Paul was targeted simply for wearing a hoodie. Wert, who is legally deemed incapacitated, spent two and a half days in the Volusia County Jail, where extreme trauma led to self-harm and emergency hospitalization. Following massive public outrage after the bodycam footage was released, Officer Rippeon—a 6.5-year U.S. Army veteran with prior service in DeLand Police Department—resigned on June 5, 2025, during an internal affairs investigation. All charges against Paul Wert have been dropped. In March 2026, Wert's legal team filed a pre-suit notice seeking a $180,000 settlement from the city for unlawful arrest and excessive force, giving the city until September 2026 to resolve the claim before a formal lawsuit is filed. #DanielRippeon #PaulWert #EdgewaterPolice #BodycamFootage #UnlawfulArrest #PoliceAccountability #bodycam

On May 10, 2025, Paul Wert, an intellectually and emotionally disabled CVS employee, finished his shift at 1806 South Ridgewood Avenue in Edgewater, Florida. While waiting on a bench for a Lyft ride ordered by his sister, he was approached by Edgewater Police Department Officer Daniel Rippeon. Officer Rippeon claimed Wert acted "suspiciously" and tried to hide behind a pillar—a claim later completely contradicted by police bodycam footage. When Wert explained he was just waiting for his ride, Rippeon detained him, drew a Taser, and threatened to unleash a K-9 unit on him, later stating he wanted to make Wert "learn the hard way." According to Wert's grandfather—a retired South Daytona police sergeant—Paul was targeted simply for wearing a hoodie. Wert, who is legally deemed incapacitated, spent two and a half days in the Volusia County Jail, where extreme trauma led to self-harm and emergency hospitalization. Following massive public outrage after the bodycam footage was released, Officer Rippeon—a 6.5-year U.S. Army veteran with prior service in DeLand Police Department—resigned on June 5, 2025, during an internal affairs investigation. All charges against Paul Wert have been dropped. In March 2026, Wert's legal team filed a pre-suit notice seeking a $180,000 settlement from the city for unlawful arrest and excessive force, giving the city until September 2026 to resolve the claim before a formal lawsuit is filed. #DanielRippeon #PaulWert #EdgewaterPolice #BodycamFootage #UnlawfulArrest #PoliceAccountability #bodycam