Video posted to Facebook by Ray Harris Jr. Wednesday shows a May 7 traffic stop and a Maryland trooper immediately asking Harris to get out of the car.
Harris says the trooper hasn’t told him why he’s been stopped and argues it isn’t necessary for him to get out of his car.
After Harris requests a supervisor, the argument continues and the trooper seems to grow frustrated.
“Sir, I’m telling you to step out.”
“Why did you pull me over, sir?” Harris asks.
“Don’t worry about it,” the trooper replies.
“Don’t worry about it?”
“Just stay right there, OK?”
“I’m going to stay right here, sir,” Harris says into the camera.
“Are you going to step out of the vehicle? Yes or no?”
“Can I get your name, sir?”
“So, I’m telling you lawfully to step out of the vehicle.”
“You have not given me your name. You have not told me why you pulled me over. You have not given me a reason to step out of this vehicle,” Harris replies.
A back and forth argument ensues for several minutes.
The trooper eventually reaches his hands into the cracked window, which Harris left open by a few inches, then breaks out the window with his bare hands before pulling Harris out and arresting him.
Harris was charged with failing to obey a lawful order and spent eight hours in jail.
The failing to obey charge has since been dropped.
Attorney David Benowitz said he didn’t believe the trooper had enough reason to order the driver out of the car, which requires reasonable and articulable suspicion that a vehicle search or pat-down should be done.
But he advised drivers to comply first.
“If I were the driver of that car, my advice would be you get out of the car and deal with that issue later,” Benowitz said.
Harris says he is now working to get his record expunged, according to Fox 32.
He is also asking for Maryland State Police to discipline the trooper.
“I don’t have a problem with police. I have a problem with police thinking they can do whatever they want,” he explained in an interview about the video.
Watch the shortened video above or the full video below.
