St. Petersburg Police Attack Driver ‘Because He Wanted To,’ Victim Records The Whole Thing [Video]
A St. Petersburg Police attack was caught on camera after a man was allegedly told he’d been pulled over because they wanted to. After the recent wave of police brutality in the news, this only adds to the poor image police are gaining across the U.S., and serves as a solid reason for police body cameras being tested in New York.
The recent trend of riots and police shootings have been enough, and law enforcement doesn’t seem to realize we’re watching them more closely now.
Curtis Shannon was allegedly pulled over for not stopping at a red light, but for seemingly no reason they escalated the problem. He was about a block away from his home when he was pulled over and was allegedly asked for his license and registration the first time before he’d started recording the incident with his phone. They had come back after allegedly not taking the documents initially.
St. Petersburg Police Department brutally attack man in his own parking lot http://t.co/8PRxWGrkHs
— SouthFl CopBlock (@SouthFlCopBlock) August 25, 2014
As heard in the video above, Shannon even informed them that they were being recorded. He informed the St. Petersburg Police officer that he’d heard enough about them, and he was justifiably scared of rolling down his window all the way.
The officers responded by threatening to break the window and force him out of the car. Curtis Shannon was being polite and explained that he was a USMC Corporal, and he argued with the officer for about a minute before the eventual police attack.
The police report stated that the officer making the stop feared for his life:
“I exited my marked patrol cruiser and walked towards the vehicle and I noticed the driver staring at me with a blank stare as he continued revving the engine louder and louder. I thought by his actions the subject was going to attempt to hit me with his car.”
It seems from the statement that a lot was missing from the video, but from what it shows of the events leading up to the St. Petersburg police attack, the officer certainly seemed to overreact.
Curtis Shannon was charged with Resisting/Obstructing with Violence, but the charges were lowered to the same without violence. The victim has set up a gofundme page to help pay for legal fees in fighting the charges.
Do you think the St. Petersburg Police overreacted to Curtis Shannon’s behavior?
[image via Police Car Archives]
