Traffic Stop Over Window Tint and Front Plate Escalates

You over, right?

Okay.

Just 'cause you-

Whoa.

Okay.

Whoa. That's way-

Put your hands behind-

Whoa. Are you serious?

And raise your fingers on the back of your head.

We've got Code 3 cover coming.

Whoa.

Okay. Undo your seatbelt with your right hand.

Oh, wow.

We're not gonna-

Hey, what's up? How's it going?

Hey, how you doing?

Good. Hey, um, I'm stopping you 'cause you got no front

plate and your window

tint's too dark.

Uh, I actually got a fix-it ticket for this

one.

Did you?

Uh, it was two weeks ago. I got stopped on Arden right there by

Hostess-

Can you roll down that window-

... Bakery factory

... for my partner, please?

Oh.

Thank you. So you got a, you got a ticket for the,

the tint already?

Yeah.

Okay.

And I did-

Roll down

... I did... Hey, how you doing?

Roll all the way down.

Do I got to?

Because I just told you to.

No, I'm saying I got a right. I count that up.

For my safety and the officer's.

And for my safety also. This is all being audio recorded, by the way,

too.

Okay, that's fine. It's right here too.

Yeah. Okay.

Okay, so you got a fix ticket for the window

tint.

I got a, a fix ticket for that too also.

And the front plate.

And which is not due until, uh... I don't know.

I got the ticket at the house.

Okay.

Yeah.

All right. You have your driver's license on you,

sir?

Uh, yeah. It's in my backpack in the back.

Okay. Here, I'll just take your name and birthday.

All

right.

What's your name, sir?

Uh, Rudy. R-U-D-Y.

What is it?

R-U-D-Y.

R-U-D-Y.

Uh.

And what's your birthday?

6/14/95.

And just to make sure, I got the last name spelled right.

All right.

You have a valid driver's license, correct?

Yeah.

Okay.

Everything, insurance good, registered.

Okay.

All that, so.

Probation, parole, anything like that?

Nothing? Okay. And you're the registered owner of the

Nothing? Okay. And you're the registered owner of the

car?

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

All right. Sit tight for me, okay? I'll be right back.

All

right. So you said for your safety?

Yeah, for my safety.

Yeah.

And I want you to keep your hands in my... in your lap for my safety, okay?

Yeah, no problem.

I'm sorry?

I said no problem.

Feels like I'm back in Nazi Germany or something the way you people get

treated

like this,

you know?

Do you know your history?

I do.

Okay. So you understand what I'm saying?

No, I don't.

You don't understand-

... Nazi Germany?

... Nazi Germany?

I don't see the correlation.

Okay.

We were hailed by a citizen regarding your car.

Weapons drawn, commands shouted.

In just a few heartbeats, what looked like another high-risk stop

was on the

verge of changing lives forever.

Officers believed they were facing a

serious threat, while the man at the center of it all kept

insisting there had been a terrible mistake.

On that roadside, nobody could know the full story yet.

In the vehicle?

Uh, yeah.

What kind of weapon?

It's, it's a registered firearm in my name.

Okay.

Yeah, a Smith & Wesson.

This is also, you know, got a business under my name too, so.

Okay. Just go ahead and keep your hands on the steering wheel

for me.

Yeah.

Do you know this person right here?

No.

He says there's a Smith & Wesson in the vehicle registered to him.

Okay. Yeah, he just, uh, just 10-4 us it.

Okay.

All right.

Probation, parole?

Uh, I didn't get that far.

Okay.

He came back.

Okay.

He says he's not. Where, where's it at?

It's in the trunk.

It's in the trunk?

Yeah.

Okay.

You good with him for a sec?

Can I talk to you for one second?

Then the situation took a turn that

left everyone rethinking what had

just

happened. As bodycams rolled and dispatch information continued to

unfold, the line between certainty and uncertainty became thinner

than anyone expected.

Some believe the officers acted on the

intelligence they had in

a tense, fast-moving moment.

Others believe greater caution

could have changed the outcome.

Before choosing a side, watch the entire encounter.

In law enforcement, every

split-second decision carries real

human

consequences, and the truth often emerges only after

every fact

is on the table.

Have the gun out.

Good with that.

Okay. Perfect.

All right, sir. Hey.

Yeah.

Just 'cause you got a firearm in the car, okay, we're just gonna do this the safe

way, okay? So

what I need you to do, can you undo your seatbelt for me?

Uh, can I call a supervisor here please?

What?

I would like a supervisor.

Well, no, you can talk to him afterwards.

Sir, I would like a supervisor here.

Well, we're, we're gonna talk to him afterwards.

And that, I need-

But you need to do what I tell you to do

... well, can you call him on your radio?

Huh?

Can you call him on your radio? He's not trying to call-

Hey

... his supervisor on the radio.

Listen, I'm just... We're, we're trying-

Okay. I'm, I'm a citizen too, bro.

Okay.

It's like-

Hey

... and, and you work for public and safety. You, you're doing your job.

Hey.

What, what's your-

... what's your cause, what's your cause-

... what's your cause, what's your cause-

Calm, calm down. Calm down.

What's your cause of stopping me is what I wanna know.

You didn't even give me-

Here

... a cause. You said for your tint. I told you I got a ticket.

That's probable cause to pull you over, right?

Okay.

Just 'cause you-

Whoa.

Okay.

Whoa. That's way-

Put your hands behind-

Whoa. Are you serious?

And raise your fingers on the back of your head.

We've got Code 3 cover coming.

Whoa.

Okay. Undo your seatbelt with your right hand.

Oh, wow.

We're not gonna play this game, sir.

Hey, it's all good.

Turn around.

It's all good.

Lean forward towards the seat.

Wait, this way?

I mean, sorry, towards the steering wheel. You want to step out for me?

Yep.

All right. Do not move. Got it? Hop out.

Head start.

Wow.

Yeah, we just trying to do this low-key.

Yeah, low-key, putting the gun to my head.

Hey. Hey. Keep your fingers-

Put the gun... You wanna put the gun to my head,

all right?

... to the right, sir.

That's crazy.

Ready?

Yep.

All right. Do not resist.

I'm not resisting.

You're not resisting.

Wow.

Why am I being detained?

Charles, I need you in handcuffs.

Sir.

Can you do?

I pull you over, okay?

So I won't have to tase you.

You're nervous, all right? Then you tell us there's a gun in your

car.

I ask you to just cooperate with me and get out of the car, okay?

So I can check and make sure that the-

And this is exactly-

... that is your gun

... this is exactly why I want a supervisor

here.

Okay.

For stuff like this.

We're on the other way now, okay?

She pointed the gun to my head.

We are all recording you. We are all recording you.

She pointed the gun to my head.

Take a seat.