COEUR d'ALENE - Ashley Chaffin was inside Calypsos Coffee on Lakeside Avenue when she saw a 13-year-old male fall to the ground during a struggle with a Coeur d'Alene Police officer Tuesday night.

"I just saw it through the doors and was wondering what the heck was happening," Chaffin said. "I just rushed outside."

Chaffin got out her phone and began filming as an additional officer arrived and began assisting in the apprehension of the teen, who according to a police report was wanted for his alleged involvement in a felony arson incident.

It was the first time Chaffin, a 22-year-old Coeur d'Alene resident, has filmed an encounter between officers and a fellow citizen.

Chaffin said she was prompted to film the encounter because of her awareness of national incidents between law enforcement officers and citizens.

"There's all these discrepancies because there was nothing but the person's word to go off of," Chaffin said. "I feel like if you can get evidence of it, and it's unedited and unfiltered, it's more legitimate. It's more real and more things like that should be happening instead of going off of a 'He said, she said' type of thing."

After viewing Chaffin's video of the incident, Coeur d'Alene Police Sgt. Christie Wood shared her thoughts about it with The Press.

"This YouTube video is a good example of how to document police activity but not interfere with an officer performing their duties," Wood said. "The PD has been wearing body cams for two years and we strongly support documentation of events."

The only concern Wood raised with the film was the inclusion of the 13-year-old's name and phone number. She cautioned residents about releasing such information and said that her department is careful to protect the identity of minors when giving the details of a criminal incident involving a minor to the public.

Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger told The Press that the major issue with residents filming law enforcement activity comes with the public's ability to edit video after it has been shot in order to generate anti-police reactions.

"If people want to use fair and accurate depictions of what actually happened, I'm good with that," Wolfinger said. "If people want to use it honestly, I think that's fair to everybody. It's fair to the officers and the public."

Chaffin said she shares Wolfinger's concern, which is why she made sure to include a detailed description of what she did, and didn't, record during the incident, as well as her thoughts on what she had witnessed.

"I felt like if I just uploaded it with no account and no time frame, it would be taken extremely one way and be completely blown out of proportion," Chaffin said. "I just wanted to explain what happened and that other people witnessed it too. I wanted to try to limit the amount of people just jumping on it and freaking out because I wanted them to have an open mind."

She added that she plans to record any future encounters she witnesses.

"And I try to tell my friends to do the same things," Chaffin said.