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Sources:
United States v. Robinson- https://bit.ly/38DJAau
Whren v. United States- https://bit.ly/3gX0kyJ
Yick Wo v. Hopkins- https://bit.ly/38NBVXY
Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney- https://bit.ly/3kwePdc
Illinois v. Caballes- https://bit.ly/3aYrksV
Rodriguez v. United States- https://bit.ly/2LS1sqc
Michigan v. Defillippo- https://bit.ly/3ycKfNU
Kolender v. Lawson- https://bit.ly/3F5ep7j
Florida v. Harris- https://bit.ly/3y315Pk
Efficacy of drug detection by fully-trained police dogs- https://bit.ly/39yEFez
Court Records (2018-TR-123713-A-O)- https://bit.ly/3FfATm3
Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByoL5…
Real World Police’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChaE…
Comments:
Look at the zeal with which he seeks to find suspicion in an ordinary person’s response to being approached with his level of aggression. Look at how thoroughly his desire to enforce drug busts—which are both profitable and valuable to him as a career move—corrupts his ability to to do his job properly. This entire situation is a ruse to bust someone for drugs. It has no legitimate traffic-enforcement purpose.
On top of that, there’s no actual complaint or meaningful indication of drug activity. This cop just pulled over some guy for a common, minor traffic thing and decided to turn his day into a nightmare, on the excuse that he reacted in a totally reasonable way (nervousness, invoking his rights) to a trap the cops manufactured to go fishing. The truth is that it wouldn’t matter how he reacted. They’d find an excuse to run the dog either way. This young man did exactly the right thing by invoking his rights.
On the cop’s own word, he doesn’t care about the traffic offenses in the least—even though he should, as traffic control is an important function that protects the public. He also doesn’t care about the rights of private citizens—arguably the most important function of his job—as evidenced by his willingness to play out this pretext to bully people into vehicle searches that contravene the spirit of the Fourth Amendment.
I know it sounds extreme, but if the justice system itself won’t fix problems like this, our only peaceful option as individual citizens is to document the abuses and then avoid cities with police like this at all costs. It’s a slow bleed, but it will work. Starve them of taxes, tourism, and fines. Pressure the local government to fix the problem or watch itself gradually turn into a ghost town.
- As a law abiding citizen, I’ve always resented that fact that I feel intimidated every time I see the police, LEO’s need to learn that their job is to protect and serve, it seems these days they’re more concerned with being sneaky and trying to shaft anyone they can because they noticed your brake light burned out before u could.
“Get me your license and registration sir.” reaches for documents “What are you reaching around for? You got guns? Turn off your vehicle!” reaches for key “Why are you reaching around? Undo your seatbelt!” reaches for seatbelt “Stop reaching around!”
- I hate seeing this happen to people. I have been pulled over a few times in my life and each time I get extremely nervous and get a bad adrenaline rush. So much so that isn’t visible to the officers and I have been asked “why are you so nervous” it’s one of the most terrifying questions I have ever been asked by a police officer and even though I didn’t have anything to hide I still couldn’t explain to an officer why I was freaking out so bad, and IM WHITE, and I grew up with a father for a cop. If this is how I feel during a traffic stop then I can’t even begin to image how people of minorities, or other races feel during police interactions. My heart goes out to you and I truly hope that the police in this country get a serious reconstruction because this system is messed up.
- “Roll your window updown.” “You got your license and registration? Why you reaching around all crazy?” Can’t even go 15 seconds into the encounter without cops doing things to intentionally confuse the citizen so they can make a mountain out of a molehill.
- “You’re making me nervous” -the fully armed and armored person with another identically outfitted guy on his side talking to the unarmed guy he just detained for “reaching around” after being asked for his registration.
- this encounter hasn’t “tainted his view towards police officers”. It has set it straight, once and for all.
@kareem Spaulding I’m so sorry you went through this, but I know I not alone in my admiration of you; the way you handled these fucks – and especially the way you handled yourself – would take some serious strength, self-control, and a calm and knowledgeable mind.
- Don’t forget that the cop (I’ll edit the timestamp in) admitted that Spalding’s refusal to answer questions played a part in his decision to search the car. That’s a violation of his fifth amendment rights.
- @Tom Orr Dude do you fucking live in the same world we do? As soon as those cops got out and approached from both sides at once I was terrified for this man. They behaved like predators from zero, escalating at every opportunity until they had him out of the car and on the sidewalk.
“Fruits of the Poisonous Tree”
As a retired Police Officer, I can tell you that the speeding citation will be tossed. I don’t care about his “well calibrated” Police cruiser, because you’re still required to pace the speeding vehicle at least one mile without losing or gaining distance. I heard a Judge once ask a state Trooper who tried to pull this stunt,;
“you’re telling the court…. with your calibrated eyeballs you clocked him at this rate of speed?!”From the aggressive bullying by these officers, I’m fairly sure that the pacing did not happen. Improper Lane change in the intersection? Their PC for stopping this man is suspect at best.
This foolishness of pulling people over just because you can is dangerous! This traffic stop is pregnant for a disaster. He could have shot them or vice-versa.
Wow, they are intentionally escalating everything they possibly can. They are playing, I’m the Good Guy, and I’m Your Friend. Neither is true. This is a guy with power, and he knows how to use it, so he’s going to twist everything he can, to get what he wants. You have no rights while this guy is near you, and I would imagine police hq would agree with that, and with everything he does.
The driver has every reason to be scared of these guys, and yes, they have guns, and it’s takes a second to have that gun out, and killing you. So, the fact that it isn’t in their hand means nothing at all. Just the fact that cops are still acting like this, after everything that has happened in the last few years, is really a problem.
They are actually using the fact, that anyone would be nervous of cops as reason to invade your privacy, and do what they want, in the guise of your being suspicious, because your nervous. Like anyone can really stay completely calm around cops acting like they are. It’s a really shady way to do justice.
The ones actually acting suspicious, are the cops. They are screaming, Don’t Trust Us!!!
This was a fishing expedition, like most police stops like this. They do their best to Escalate anything they can, to give you a ticket, or take you to jail. Either way, they want you feeding money into the system, to fight the system. They want to get you in front of a judge. Nothing else matters, because police do no wrongs, and they never lie.
Sadly, talking to lawyers this is EXTREMELY common. Where cops will try to delay something as much as possible to get a drug dog out there to harass someone.
What they told me is if something like that happens. Tell the officer “am I free to go”, and “I do not consent to stay here longer than a reasonable time for you to do your investigation.” Another is if they say you’re not free to go, say “please tell me when I’m free to go so I can leave. Thank you” Basically, it shows you didn’t voluntary stay there longer than needed for a normal traffic stop. It is likely, if he brought it to court with this body cam and a good lawyer. He wouldn’t have to pay a dime, and he could’ve sued for the extended time being stuck there.From what they told me, if they pull a I smell x. You say, “can you prove in court that you smell x?” They might get PO, but basically it signals that won’t fly in court. They will most likely try to pull a drug dog, and mention “your lawyer will pull up the record of the drug dog training, and all officers involved.” Like they and others will pull BS that saying that forces them to do it. But in reality, by the time they are pulling a stunt with a drug dog or threatening it. They are going to do it no matter what you say, and fear of it not being held up in court is the only way to get them to back down.
#1: I’ll help you- the young Black man (that’s what this is all about) gets an A+++ as he did what a Judge (a relative of mine) told us to do: keep your hands on the wheel or up in plain sight, no movements unless asked to do so, simply ask why you’re being stopped, try to remain calm, let the cops know you’re going to exercise your rights, & that you don’t consent to any searches or seizures. Despite clearly doing this, he is assaulted, handcuffed, harassed, & subject to numerous rights violations during this course of racial profiling.
#2: This is the modus operandi for these cops (seen it & been thru it enough myself) and they clearly stated what their real intentions where while they used the plethora of tricks afforded them by the Courts.
#3: I thought this was going to be another young Black man murdered by cops during a traffic stop for nothing. IF you couldn’t tell, the young man was literally frightened for his life. He was confused by what they really wanted from him/their actions. Their approach, tone, & attitude let him know that “road piracy” wasn’t what this was all about. He did NOT know if he would survive this encounter.
#4: He probably can’t afford a $750/hour attorney (if he could find one) & how many of us can? He paid the ticket as he wanted to be through with this system as much as anything else. Besides, the Courts ain’t gonna listen to him even if these 2 regularly planted drugs on innocent citizens. Period.
#5: He is permanently scarred by this treatment from “those sworn to serve and protect” & will do his best to avoid them forever.Oh, but the system loses as well. He will return to his community & add his fear and humiliation to that of his community which will continue to not trust law enforcement (exactly why should they?).
So, forget about expecting virtually any cooperation when law enforcement needs help from them.
- Why anyone would believe that this type of “law enforcement” is either fair, okay, or sustainable is beyond me. People are beyond tired of this crap…..
- I find it disappointing that when a person doesn’t jump through their hoops in assisting the officers in finding evidence to arrest them on, and politely says they won’t answer questions: the officers assume he’s some “extremist sovern citizen”.
- I’ve encountered cops talking to me like that, too, except for the narcotics stuff.
- Cop “Your acting all nervous, reaching around, rolling up your windows..” Later same cop “You’re making me nervous.”
- This video just infuriates me….this is THE definition of a pre textual stop…..this driver was absolutely mistreated and the only reason the cop didn’t catch an a$$ whoopin is because he IS a cop…..disgusting law enforcement overreach
- The footage is from the bodycam footage of the cops, which was continuously edited, as the breaks are clearly noticeable… The footage did not show the driver’s actual violation, as would have been captured on the cop’s car dashcam… There is not any footage showing anything to the claimed traffic violation… Clearly there is a lawsuit in play, being that we are seeing this on Audit the Audit… The cops violated an array of the driver’s rights, creating false narratives and outright lying… The crooked and racist courts of that jurisdiction will drag the lawsuit… This is police gang behavior, at the expense of taxpayers.
I get a laugh out of the cops that say, “you’re shaking. Why are you nervous?” Idk, maybe because ARMED men are escalating what should be a routine traffic stop for no other reason to try and pin an actual crime on me.
Seriously, cops like this drive me insane. For the record, I’m a law-abiding citizen and even I’ll admit that I get nervous during traffic stops, even though I know I’m not doing anything wrong. Why? Just because you’re innocent doesn’t mean a cop won’t try anything funny, like planting evidence. It does happen and I actually fear the long-term repercussions of such an action more so than the “in the moment.”
There’s also one more factor to consider. It was very obvious from the search that the “suspect” drives for Uber. I can say this as a former Uber driver. I have had clientele accidentally leave and spill drugs in my vehicle that I didn’t see until the end of the day when I was done driving. What would happen if I was pulled over and they ended up calling a K-9 unit? I would get in trouble for my own clientele’s illegal behavior. I did get pulled over once while driving for Uber and it was an absolute baloney stop. Officer claimed I failed to yield at a stop sign at a right turn and I called him out on it because I HAD to stop. There was oncoming traffic coming from the left and I had to wait for that vehicle to pass through the intersection. Cop let me off with a warning but honestly, if he did site me, I would’ve FOIA’d the dash cam footage and taken it to traffic court. The cop had absolutely nothing. I had a passenger at the time too and she actually felt bad for me because she knew I didn’t do anything wrong either.
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War on Drugs creates public distrust, racial profiling, lies, and pretextual detentions
[bg_collapse view=”button-orange” color=”#4a4949″ expand_text=”Show More” collapse_text=”Show Less” ]
Sources:
United States v. Robinson- https://bit.ly/38DJAau
Whren v. United States- https://bit.ly/3gX0kyJ
Yick Wo v. Hopkins- https://bit.ly/38NBVXY
Personnel Administrator of Massachusetts v. Feeney- https://bit.ly/3kwePdc
Illinois v. Caballes- https://bit.ly/3aYrksV
Rodriguez v. United States- https://bit.ly/2LS1sqc
Michigan v. Defillippo- https://bit.ly/3ycKfNU
Kolender v. Lawson- https://bit.ly/3F5ep7j
Florida v. Harris- https://bit.ly/3y315Pk
Efficacy of drug detection by fully-trained police dogs- https://bit.ly/39yEFez
Court Records (2018-TR-123713-A-O)- https://bit.ly/3FfATm3
Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByoL5…
Real World Police’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChaE…
Comments:
Look at the zeal with which he seeks to find suspicion in an ordinary person’s response to being approached with his level of aggression. Look at how thoroughly his desire to enforce drug busts—which are both profitable and valuable to him as a career move—corrupts his ability to to do his job properly. This entire situation is a ruse to bust someone for drugs. It has no legitimate traffic-enforcement purpose.
On top of that, there’s no actual complaint or meaningful indication of drug activity. This cop just pulled over some guy for a common, minor traffic thing and decided to turn his day into a nightmare, on the excuse that he reacted in a totally reasonable way (nervousness, invoking his rights) to a trap the cops manufactured to go fishing. The truth is that it wouldn’t matter how he reacted. They’d find an excuse to run the dog either way. This young man did exactly the right thing by invoking his rights.
On the cop’s own word, he doesn’t care about the traffic offenses in the least—even though he should, as traffic control is an important function that protects the public. He also doesn’t care about the rights of private citizens—arguably the most important function of his job—as evidenced by his willingness to play out this pretext to bully people into vehicle searches that contravene the spirit of the Fourth Amendment.
I know it sounds extreme, but if the justice system itself won’t fix problems like this, our only peaceful option as individual citizens is to document the abuses and then avoid cities with police like this at all costs. It’s a slow bleed, but it will work. Starve them of taxes, tourism, and fines. Pressure the local government to fix the problem or watch itself gradually turn into a ghost town.
- As a law abiding citizen, I’ve always resented that fact that I feel intimidated every time I see the police, LEO’s need to learn that their job is to protect and serve, it seems these days they’re more concerned with being sneaky and trying to shaft anyone they can because they noticed your brake light burned out before u could.
“Get me your license and registration sir.” reaches for documents “What are you reaching around for? You got guns? Turn off your vehicle!” reaches for key “Why are you reaching around? Undo your seatbelt!” reaches for seatbelt “Stop reaching around!”
- I hate seeing this happen to people. I have been pulled over a few times in my life and each time I get extremely nervous and get a bad adrenaline rush. So much so that isn’t visible to the officers and I have been asked “why are you so nervous” it’s one of the most terrifying questions I have ever been asked by a police officer and even though I didn’t have anything to hide I still couldn’t explain to an officer why I was freaking out so bad, and IM WHITE, and I grew up with a father for a cop. If this is how I feel during a traffic stop then I can’t even begin to image how people of minorities, or other races feel during police interactions. My heart goes out to you and I truly hope that the police in this country get a serious reconstruction because this system is messed up.
- “Roll your window updown.” “You got your license and registration? Why you reaching around all crazy?” Can’t even go 15 seconds into the encounter without cops doing things to intentionally confuse the citizen so they can make a mountain out of a molehill.
- “You’re making me nervous” -the fully armed and armored person with another identically outfitted guy on his side talking to the unarmed guy he just detained for “reaching around” after being asked for his registration.
- this encounter hasn’t “tainted his view towards police officers”. It has set it straight, once and for all.
@kareem Spaulding I’m so sorry you went through this, but I know I not alone in my admiration of you; the way you handled these fucks – and especially the way you handled yourself – would take some serious strength, self-control, and a calm and knowledgeable mind.
- Don’t forget that the cop (I’ll edit the timestamp in) admitted that Spalding’s refusal to answer questions played a part in his decision to search the car. That’s a violation of his fifth amendment rights.
- @Tom Orr Dude do you fucking live in the same world we do? As soon as those cops got out and approached from both sides at once I was terrified for this man. They behaved like predators from zero, escalating at every opportunity until they had him out of the car and on the sidewalk.
“Fruits of the Poisonous Tree”
As a retired Police Officer, I can tell you that the speeding citation will be tossed. I don’t care about his “well calibrated” Police cruiser, because you’re still required to pace the speeding vehicle at least one mile without losing or gaining distance. I heard a Judge once ask a state Trooper who tried to pull this stunt,;
“you’re telling the court…. with your calibrated eyeballs you clocked him at this rate of speed?!”From the aggressive bullying by these officers, I’m fairly sure that the pacing did not happen. Improper Lane change in the intersection? Their PC for stopping this man is suspect at best.
This foolishness of pulling people over just because you can is dangerous! This traffic stop is pregnant for a disaster. He could have shot them or vice-versa.
Wow, they are intentionally escalating everything they possibly can. They are playing, I’m the Good Guy, and I’m Your Friend. Neither is true. This is a guy with power, and he knows how to use it, so he’s going to twist everything he can, to get what he wants. You have no rights while this guy is near you, and I would imagine police hq would agree with that, and with everything he does.
The driver has every reason to be scared of these guys, and yes, they have guns, and it’s takes a second to have that gun out, and killing you. So, the fact that it isn’t in their hand means nothing at all. Just the fact that cops are still acting like this, after everything that has happened in the last few years, is really a problem.
They are actually using the fact, that anyone would be nervous of cops as reason to invade your privacy, and do what they want, in the guise of your being suspicious, because your nervous. Like anyone can really stay completely calm around cops acting like they are. It’s a really shady way to do justice.
The ones actually acting suspicious, are the cops. They are screaming, Don’t Trust Us!!!
This was a fishing expedition, like most police stops like this. They do their best to Escalate anything they can, to give you a ticket, or take you to jail. Either way, they want you feeding money into the system, to fight the system. They want to get you in front of a judge. Nothing else matters, because police do no wrongs, and they never lie.
Sadly, talking to lawyers this is EXTREMELY common. Where cops will try to delay something as much as possible to get a drug dog out there to harass someone.
What they told me is if something like that happens. Tell the officer “am I free to go”, and “I do not consent to stay here longer than a reasonable time for you to do your investigation.” Another is if they say you’re not free to go, say “please tell me when I’m free to go so I can leave. Thank you” Basically, it shows you didn’t voluntary stay there longer than needed for a normal traffic stop. It is likely, if he brought it to court with this body cam and a good lawyer. He wouldn’t have to pay a dime, and he could’ve sued for the extended time being stuck there.From what they told me, if they pull a I smell x. You say, “can you prove in court that you smell x?” They might get PO, but basically it signals that won’t fly in court. They will most likely try to pull a drug dog, and mention “your lawyer will pull up the record of the drug dog training, and all officers involved.” Like they and others will pull BS that saying that forces them to do it. But in reality, by the time they are pulling a stunt with a drug dog or threatening it. They are going to do it no matter what you say, and fear of it not being held up in court is the only way to get them to back down.
#1: I’ll help you- the young Black man (that’s what this is all about) gets an A+++ as he did what a Judge (a relative of mine) told us to do: keep your hands on the wheel or up in plain sight, no movements unless asked to do so, simply ask why you’re being stopped, try to remain calm, let the cops know you’re going to exercise your rights, & that you don’t consent to any searches or seizures. Despite clearly doing this, he is assaulted, handcuffed, harassed, & subject to numerous rights violations during this course of racial profiling.
#2: This is the modus operandi for these cops (seen it & been thru it enough myself) and they clearly stated what their real intentions where while they used the plethora of tricks afforded them by the Courts.
#3: I thought this was going to be another young Black man murdered by cops during a traffic stop for nothing. IF you couldn’t tell, the young man was literally frightened for his life. He was confused by what they really wanted from him/their actions. Their approach, tone, & attitude let him know that “road piracy” wasn’t what this was all about. He did NOT know if he would survive this encounter.
#4: He probably can’t afford a $750/hour attorney (if he could find one) & how many of us can? He paid the ticket as he wanted to be through with this system as much as anything else. Besides, the Courts ain’t gonna listen to him even if these 2 regularly planted drugs on innocent citizens. Period.
#5: He is permanently scarred by this treatment from “those sworn to serve and protect” & will do his best to avoid them forever.Oh, but the system loses as well. He will return to his community & add his fear and humiliation to that of his community which will continue to not trust law enforcement (exactly why should they?).
So, forget about expecting virtually any cooperation when law enforcement needs help from them.
- Why anyone would believe that this type of “law enforcement” is either fair, okay, or sustainable is beyond me. People are beyond tired of this crap…..
- I find it disappointing that when a person doesn’t jump through their hoops in assisting the officers in finding evidence to arrest them on, and politely says they won’t answer questions: the officers assume he’s some “extremist sovern citizen”.
- I’ve encountered cops talking to me like that, too, except for the narcotics stuff.
- Cop “Your acting all nervous, reaching around, rolling up your windows..” Later same cop “You’re making me nervous.”
- This video just infuriates me….this is THE definition of a pre textual stop…..this driver was absolutely mistreated and the only reason the cop didn’t catch an a$$ whoopin is because he IS a cop…..disgusting law enforcement overreach
- The footage is from the bodycam footage of the cops, which was continuously edited, as the breaks are clearly noticeable… The footage did not show the driver’s actual violation, as would have been captured on the cop’s car dashcam… There is not any footage showing anything to the claimed traffic violation… Clearly there is a lawsuit in play, being that we are seeing this on Audit the Audit… The cops violated an array of the driver’s rights, creating false narratives and outright lying… The crooked and racist courts of that jurisdiction will drag the lawsuit… This is police gang behavior, at the expense of taxpayers.
I get a laugh out of the cops that say, “you’re shaking. Why are you nervous?” Idk, maybe because ARMED men are escalating what should be a routine traffic stop for no other reason to try and pin an actual crime on me.
Seriously, cops like this drive me insane. For the record, I’m a law-abiding citizen and even I’ll admit that I get nervous during traffic stops, even though I know I’m not doing anything wrong. Why? Just because you’re innocent doesn’t mean a cop won’t try anything funny, like planting evidence. It does happen and I actually fear the long-term repercussions of such an action more so than the “in the moment.”
There’s also one more factor to consider. It was very obvious from the search that the “suspect” drives for Uber. I can say this as a former Uber driver. I have had clientele accidentally leave and spill drugs in my vehicle that I didn’t see until the end of the day when I was done driving. What would happen if I was pulled over and they ended up calling a K-9 unit? I would get in trouble for my own clientele’s illegal behavior. I did get pulled over once while driving for Uber and it was an absolute baloney stop. Officer claimed I failed to yield at a stop sign at a right turn and I called him out on it because I HAD to stop. There was oncoming traffic coming from the left and I had to wait for that vehicle to pass through the intersection. Cop let me off with a warning but honestly, if he did site me, I would’ve FOIA’d the dash cam footage and taken it to traffic court. The cop had absolutely nothing. I had a passenger at the time too and she actually felt bad for me because she knew I didn’t do anything wrong either.
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Donald Trump’s Debates: 5 Mental Tricks You Didn’t Notice
Faced with an officer’s gun, a black man chose his best option: Show his hands and hit record
With his weapon cocked to the side, the Arkansas police officer repeatedly gives Ed Truitt a simple command: “shut your car off.”
An apprehensive Truitt, using his left hand to live-stream the early Sunday encounter on Facebook, begins to move his right arm.
“He’s got a gun!” the officer yells before repeating the last word. “Gun!”
“Where? My hand’s in the air!” Truitt replies, panning the camera to his empty hand. “Come shut the car off, I ain’t moving my hands. He’s trying to shoot me.”
Video of the incident, which took place outside a convenience store in the eastern Arkansas city of Helena-West Helena, has garnered thousands of views online and raised questions about the officer’s intentions. For some, Truitt’s experience illustrated the painstaking steps people of color feel they must take to survive run-ins with law enforcement.
“Given the history of these types of videos, I heard ‘gun’ and I flinched,” said Phillip Atiba Goff, whose advocacy group, Center for Policing Equity, promotes police transparency and accountability. “I thought I knew what was going to happen next.”
Truitt argues he survived by ignoring the officer’s instructions, telling WREG that he “played it safe” by keeping his hands visible and refusing to move.
“[The officer] was like, ‘That’s a failure to comply,’” Truitt told the Memphis-based CBS affiliate. “But if I would have complied, I would have got killed.”
Reached Wednesday, he referred questions to his attorney, who did not return multiple requests for comment.
Helena-West Helena police told WREG the convenience store’s parking lot was a hotbed of criminal activity. Police are seen in the background of the video talking with others at the scene.
According to Truitt, several police officers arrived Sunday morning and ordered everyone to clear out, causing another car to block him in. In the video, the officer claims Truitt didn’t leave the premises when asked. In an apparent change of course, he then alleges Truitt had “come back.”
“I’m not going to shoot you, but you’re not going to move those hands,” the officer says.
“My hands in the air,” Truitt replies. “You’re telling me to shut my car off so you can shoot me. C’mon now.”
As the video circulated on Twitter and Instagram, where it was reposted by comedian D.L. Hughley and others with large followings, commenters accused the officer of looking for reasons to shoot Truitt. Others questioned why the officer involved, who has not been named by the department, would yell out “gun” when Truitt’s hands were shown to be empty.
Helena-West Helena Police Chief James Smith, who did not return multiple requests for comment from The Washington Post, told WREG that officers found a rifle inside the vehicle. Truitt appears to say in the video the weapon is registered in his name. Under Arkansas law, rifles do not require registration.
Body camera footage published by the network Wednesday shows police holding a rifle after placing Truitt in handcuffs. Truitt has indicated the gun was not easily accessible from where he sat in the vehicle.
Smith said the department was working to determine if the officer responded properly. The chief sought the facts, he said, including whether the officer felt “imminent danger” before pulling out his weapon.
“We don’t want this to be a racial thing,” he added. “We want to make sure this officer did the right thing and that he is accountable for his actions.”
Goff said it’s important to note the officer’s finger was not placed on the trigger during the encounter, and that he remained calm after initially reacting to the rifle. He attempted to explain the reactions of those who may think the officer responded with appropriate urgency after spotting the weapon, and others who see an armed policeman needlessly escalating the situation.
“Hero cop or hero bystander? Ridiculous citizens or unnecessarily goonish officer?” Goff said. “Very quickly, these become characters that are written in historical stereotypes. That’s part of the toxins in how we handle race and law enforcement today.”
Since 2015, The Post has kept a database of fatal officer-involved shootings in the United States, which has shown that black men are shot at disproportionately high rates.
In 2017, the Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Philando Castile as he sat in his vehicle was acquitted on all charges. A year prior, the officer had opened fire on Castile within seven seconds of learning the man had a weapon in the car. That incident — the aftermath of which was posted to Facebook Live by Castile’s girlfriend — sparked protests across the country.
The woman said Castile was simply reaching for his gun permit and driver’s license.
For many discussing Truitt on social media, he was the clear hero. They commended his demeanor as he stared down the barrel of a police officer’s gun.
“Way to keep your cool, brother. You didn’t get emotional,” one woman commented on his Facebook video. “That takes you off your game. You stayed rational.”
According to WREG, Truitt was arrested for loitering and disregarding an official order. Police also told the network Truitt was charged with having a gun in his vehicle. The Post was unable to confirm any charges late Wednesday.
In the video’s waning moments the officer is seen forcibly removing Truitt from the car, sending the phone he recorded with tumbling to the ground. Grateful to be alive, Truitt said he has no regrets about how he handled the interaction.
“What I did saved my life,” he told WREG. “That’s why I’m here talking to y’all. If not, y’all would be covering a story about how I got shot.”