SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — The South Euclid Police Department has released dashcam and bodycam footage of a controversial traffic stop after a video of the interaction was posted on social media.
The video shows an officer holding a woman at gunpoint in front of her minor child. However, officials say there was more to the incident than what footage originally posted to social media showed.
On Monday, an officer clocked a vehicle traveling 55 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone just before noon on Monticello Boulevard.. According to authorities, during the officer's initial attempt to stop the vehicle, the driver failed to stop. Shortly after, the driver stopped near Trebisky Road.
At this time, the officer observed tinted windows on the vehicle and claims he was unable see inside. As he was exiting his cruiser, the car drove away. The officer followed for approximately half a mile before the car stopped again.
Due to the previously mentioned behavior and because the officer could not see inside of the vehicle, the department says the officer felt justified in calling the driver out of the car at gunpoint. After it was determined the unidentified woman was not a threat and the only other person inside was her minor child, she was then allowed to return to her car.
Police say the woman was not handcuffed, as some on social media indicated. She was, however issued a citation and released.
You can watch the police footage for yourself in the players below:
