Actually it was none of the officer's business.
Other than give them your name and show identification upon demand, you are under no obligation to answer any questions.
I would have probably told him that it was none of his business myself.
He had a valid driver's license, insurance, and a legal tag. He could drive up and down the street or road as long as he pleased.
We have not yet reached the point to where we need police permission to travel from one point to another, though from your post, you will be happy when we do.
We have a stock answer to the "Where are you headed?" question.
WAFFLE HOUSE
It subliminally states: I really don't care about my life or yours, so, if you want to keep your family and friends safe, you'll stop asking stupid questions. I know where you live.
Not sure where asking where you're headed is about "permission." It's a public roadway and public roadways are the scene of 40,000 deaths a year (that's 50X our loss rate in Iraq). The police are there to protect the public and that means routinely eliciting volunteered information from drivers. The officer did not handle it well thereafter, but that doesn't mean the kid wasn't a jerk. I cannot imagine speaking this way to an officer at a check point. If the kid is just cruising around, he can just say he's taking the car for a spin. Why start with hostility? It's like the kid was trying to prove something.