Cop Pulls Over Speeder, Holds Passenger At Gun Point For 9 Minutes

For over 9 minutes, one Campbell, California police officer held the passenger in a previously speeding car hostage at gun point.  A video taken during the traffic stop is now drawing attention to the drastic measures police are going to in order to enforce even the most mundane of laws; such as speeding.

It’s becoming more clear by the day that we live in an ever increasing and oppressive police state.  This particular traffic stop took place last Wednesday morning, July 26, along U.S. Route 101, south of San Jose after an officer noticed a car pass him going 85 mph, according to the Campbell Police Department. Since the car was going faster than the state’s arbitrary posted speed limit, a police officer decided it was his duty to enforce the law, and took off after the vehicle.

After stopping the car for speeding, the officer requested the driver’s license and additional paperwork. The driver and passenger spent several minutes looking for the paperwork before the officer walked back to his motorcycle to write a citation, police said.

According to police, the passenger then began reaching “under his seat,” so the cop “feared for his life,” thinking the passenger was looking for a handgun. “It is not clear why the passenger chose to reach under the seat since the officer was not requesting any other paperwork,” Campbell police said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the passenger’s unexpected movement towards the bottom of the seat, caused the officer to perceive a threat and draw his handgun.”

*This video shows a cop pointing a gun at an unarmed man. It is not violent, yet may be unsuitable for some viewers, as the man curses at the cop for not lowering the gun.

“Wow,” the passenger says in the video, laughing. “We’re looking for the f—ing paperwork, bro. Oh my God.”  The passenger maintains that he was looking for the requested paperwork the cop asked for the entire time.  “I understand that,” the officer replies. “Don’t move, all right?”

The passenger sounds indignant and nervous (probably because he’s got a gun in his face-the reaction any human would have) as his hands remain on his lap. “Why are you still pointing that gun at me, bro?” he asks the officer. “Why are you still pointing the gun at me, though? Record this sh-t. Why are you still pointing the gun at me, bro? My hands are right here.”

“I understand,” the officer says.

“No, you don’t understand,” the passenger protests, as the officer tells him to relax. “No, I’m not going to relax. Get the f—king gun off me.”  As the cop calls for backup, the man continues to protest being held at gun point for looking for paperwork. For several more minutes, they remain at an impasse, with the passenger muttering periodic complaints as music plays in the background. The entire time, the officer’s gun is trained on the man as he repeatedly tells the cop that he is on the way to work.

Toward the end of the video, the officer relays something through the radio and the passenger begins protesting again. At one point in the video, the officer mentions that there had been a screwdriver on the floor of the car (at the 7:01 mark in the video).  The man then said the screwdriver is used to fix glasses.

“We understand that it is never a comfortable position to have a gun pointed at you, regardless of whether it is a police officer,” police said. “Unfortunately, the length of time that the officer’s gun was drawn lasted much longer than normal based on his location.” Police also said they had reviewed footage from the officer’s body cam, which included the beginning and end of the incident not shown in the Facebook video. The department did not release any footage from the officer’s camera and did not immediately respond to an email for comment on Sunday.

“We are thankful that this incident resolved itself with no one getting injured and hope that this additional information provides clarification,” the police said.

So far this year, 594 people have been shot and killed by police, according to The Washington Post’s Fatal Force database. Last year, police shot and killed 963 people. By comparison, 135 cops died in the line of duty in 2016, 64 of which were shooting deaths.