(UPDATE: The Denpasar Immigration Office told Coconuts Bali that the American, named Bryan Ronald William, left Bali for Singapore this morning. William’s social media pages suggest that he is some kind of sexual empowerment coach.)
A clip of a shirtless and tattooed American man arguing with police officers after they stopped him for not wearing a helmet in Ubud yesterday went viral, at a time when problematic foreigners in Bali are under the spotlight.
In the video, the man with the rastafarian hairstyle, who was only wearing gray pants and white sneakers, looked annoyed when police officers stopped him for not wearing the all-important headgear while riding his black Yamaha Nmax.
“You want to steal money,” he said towards the cops, repeating the accusation at least three times.
He argued that the police officers singled him out for extortion, claiming that he did not see them stop locals who were not wearing helmets.
“Please don’t touch me! Get your hands off!” he shouted as a cop approached him.
“Anda mau uang! (You want money!),” he added, this time in Indonesian.
The officers were seen arguing back, with one telling the motorist that they could have him deported for his behavior.
“You too much talking!” said one of the officers.
The clip was shared by several community accounts on Instagram, including @moscow_cabang_bali. Many Indonesian netizens lambasted the American for his antics, though some foreigners commented that he might have a point about outsiders being the target of police extortion.
Gianyar Police Traffic Law Enforcement Unit Chief Muhammad Bhayangkara Putra Sejati confirmed that the foreigner was stopped for not wearing a helmet, as well as for not wearing a shirt, which they deemed inappropriate.
Separately, Bali Police spokesman Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto confirmed to Coconuts Bali that the man in the video is an American named Bryan, though his surname was not disclosed. The 45-year-old lives in Pejeng, Tampaksiring.
He added that the event took place at Puri intersection in Ubud yesterday, where officers had set up a traffic checkpoint.
“At around 11am, a foreign man who was not wearing a helmet and a shirt was stopped by Officer I Wayan Sudana, but he rejected it and began shouting unintelligibly,” Stefanus said, adding that other officers attempted to switch off the motorbike so that Bryan could not flee the scene.
Bryan initially could not show the motorbike’s STNK (vehicle registration document), but eventually found it inside the vehicle’s compartment.
“He was subsequently fined and the officers confiscated the STNK,” Stefanus added.
UPDATE: In an earlier version of this article, we wrote that William is 50 years old based on a statement from the police. The Denpasar Immigration Office later confirmed to us that he is 45.
