Vendor who had his cash confiscated by U.C. Berkeley officer receives $87K

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Monday, September 25, 2017
Vendor whose cash was taken by U.C. cop given $87K
The vendor who had his cash taken by a U.C. Berkeley police officer says he didn't know what to think at the time, but tried his best to just obey the officer's orders.

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- Two weeks after a hot dog vendor at U.C. Berkeley had his wallet and cash confiscated after being cited for not having a proper permit, he's received thousands of dollars from the community.



RELATED: Video showing U.C. Berkeley cop confiscating un-permitted hot dog vendor's cash goes viral



Beto Matias was presented with a check of over $87,000, courtesy of a GoFundMe campaign.



Supporters say they can't understand why police turn a blind eye on other infractions after a Bears game to focus on vendors.



"And people are violating all kinds of rules that we all accept on game day. People are jaywalking, we're okay with that. People are drinking, we're okay with that. But why are we going to pick on a young man who's providing for his family?" Martin Flores said.



Flores taped video of the confiscation that went viral.



Berkeley police have stressed the officer did everything correctly-and that the money he took from the vendor is needed as evidence.

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