Moment American musician and ex-US paratrooper is arrested by Russian police in ... trends now
Stunning video shows the moment Russian police in tactical gear violently arrested an American musician and former paratrooper who had been living in Moscow and accused of dealing drugs.
The footage was shared by Russian media outlets and showed armed police piling into the home of 51-year-old Travis Leake, who sat on the floor shouting in his underwear and a T-shirt as police apprehended him.
In another short clip recorded after his arrest he addressed a camera - confirming his name but claiming he was unaware why he had been arrested.
Local state media reported that he was arrested for allegedly selling mephedrone, which could result in a sentence of 12 years in prison.
The US State Department confirmed Leake had been arrested this weekend and US officials attended his arraignment in the Khamovniki Court in Moscow on Saturday night, where he appeared in a cage.
Travis Leake, 51, is seen in custody after his arrest in video released by Russian media outlets. In the short video he denied wrongdoing and claimed not to know the basis for his arrest
Video shows the moment Russian police in tactical gear piled into Leake's Moscow home. He can be seen on the floor shouting in his underwear and a T-shirt as police apprehended him
Russian outlets first reported that the 'ex-paratrooper and musician' was arrested on June 6 and identified him as 'Leek Michael Travis', though his identity has since been confirmed as Travis Leake.
Mephedrone - also known as M-CAT, White Magic, meow meow and bubble - is a drug in a class similar to amphetamines and often described as being like a mix between speed, ecstasy and cocaine.
Leake had been living in Russia since around 2010 and was in the past a member of the Russian rock band Lovi Noch, which translates to 'Catch the Night'.
After moving to Russia a decade ago, he worked as an English teacher and helped translate songs for Russian bands, according to Reuters. In 2011 he appeared in an episode of Parts Unknown in Moscow, hosted by Anthony Bourdain.
Leake, who according to CNN, was selected to be interviewed by Bourdian, talked about his frustrations with censorship in Russia and mentioned an issue with MTV.
'This was a documentary series about musicians standing up and risking their lives in some cases, to stand up against government abuse of power, government corruption,' he said.
'And yet, a foreign government was able to editorially control what American viewers see on their TV screens. That to me is a scandal of epic proportion.'
Leake's mother, Glenda Garcia, who lives in Bakersfield in California, said she hasn't heard from her son since Mother's Day, according to ABC7.
In a Facebook post months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Leake told friends and family he 'never had a cause to be concerned about unjustified
