Hot Dog Vendor Who Had His Cash Seized By Cop Presented With $87,941 From GoFundMe

A hot dog vendor working near UC Berkeley has been rewarded with donations of nearly $88,000 after a viral video showed a police officer taking money from his wallet.

Rigoberto Matias was selling hot dogs after a football game on September 9, when UC Berkeley campus officer Sean Aranas approached him and asked to see a permit to sell food there. When Matias failed to produce a permit, Aranas took the vendor's wallet and took the money out of it, on the grounds that it was suspected illegal funds. Then he wrote a citation.

The whole incident was filmed by UC Berkeley alum Martin Flores, who had just bought hot dogs from Matias for his children after the game. Flores shared the video on Facebook, where it was viewed more than 12 million times.

Flores also started a GoFundMe campaign on Matias' behalf. Flores was initially hoping to collect $10,000 to cover Matias' legal fees and personal losses. The campaign wound up making several times that amount. Saturday, September 24, Flores presented Matias and his family with a check for $87,941 at the University of California Berkeley Center for Latino Policy Research.

The GoFundMe campaign is still going on and collecting money. The goal is to raise $150,000 to help Matias realize his dream of opening a food truck, with all the proper permits, licenses, and equipment. Maybe someday he'll be selling one of the 75 best hot dogs in America.