Gun drawn, smashing glass: Body-worn camera footage shows how Rochester traffic stop escalated
A Rochester police officer approached a routine traffic stop last month with his gun drawn. Minutes later, the cop shattered the man’s car window.
Marvin Taylor said police would not say why they pulled him over.
The 22-year-old Black man left the May 7 incident with two traffic tickets, an obstruction of governmental administration charge and a reported sprained shoulder after police dragged him from the car and restrained him on the pavement.
Rochester police released body-worn camera footage from the traffic stop on Tuesday ― a week after Taylor uploaded a short cellphone video clip of the incident to social media.
Motorist says police wouldn't explain why they stopped him
In a press release, RPD said the officers saw Taylor driving with an expired inspection sticker on Morrill Street. As they began to run his license plates, the officers said Taylor turned onto Remington Street and Dale Street without using his turn signal.
Police claim Taylor “failed to immediately stop” for the officers near the intersection of Remington and Dale. However, it is not clear that Taylor significantly delayed pulling over after making his full turn onto Dale Street. The addresses given by police show the man pulled over less than a block away — about 10 houses or less — from where they initiated the stop.
The car apparently traveled less than 500 feet after making the turn they said he didn't signal. And Taylor was not charged with eluding police.
Police said they broke his window and pulled him out of the car because Taylor ignored their orders to roll down his rear windows, which were tinted, and step out of the vehicle.
Taylor said he just wanted to understand why he was stopped. He was almost home; he lives nearby.
“I feel like it was just motivated by power,” he said in an interview last week. “They just want to be in charge. When I didn’t want to get out of the car, that triggered them.”
More: Two traffic stops, two outcomes: Comparing Doorley and Taylor incidents
Body-worn camera shows how traffic stop on Dale Street escalated
The body-worn camera footage starts with two police officers approaching Taylor’s car, one on each side. One of the officers ― on the driver’s side of the car ― came with his gun drawn.
That officer immediately orders Taylor to roll down his back windows. The other officer explains they can’t see inside his car.
Taylor responds by asking why the first officer has pulled out his gun.
“Because you weren’t pulling over,” the officer says. “Roll down your back window now.”
Taylor refuses and asks several times why he was pulled over. Neither officer provides reasoning for the traffic stop. Both order Taylor to get out of the car.
When he refuses and again asks why, the first officer says, “Because I said so. Because you’re not complying with me … I’m not explaining anything else.”
The back-and-forth lasts about two minutes.
Related Story: Caught on Camera: DA Sandra Doorley defies police orders in traffic stop
Smashing glass and a baseless claim about drugs?
After warning Taylor that he would break his window for access, the first officer does just that ― smashing the glass toward the man and unlocking his car while other responding officers drag him to the pavement.
Video shows Taylor screaming for help.
“Bro, you got drugs on you,” an officer says to him. Taylor denies that and though police search his car, illicit drugs are not found. Police have not levied any drug charges.
Later video shows a police lieutenant asked Taylor why he did not comply with the officers’ commands.
“He wasn’t trying to give no reason,” Taylor said. “Why would I just get out? … Because he had a gun. That’s the reason why (I didn’t). Why would I roll down my window if he got a gun out? My window was cracked.
“You don’t understand, bro,” he continued. “I’m not even trying to be funny though, but you’re not a Black man. I get pulled over almost like every other day.”
Police released Taylor with an obstruction of governmental administration charge and two tickets for the expired inspection and failure to use a turn signal.
Marvin Taylor: 'The situation was not supposed to play out like that'
RPD said the incident is under review, but in a statement, the agency shifted blame to Taylor.
“Our officers are tasked with doing an incredibly dangerous job on a daily basis,” Chief David Smith said. “Situations, like these, in which a motorist refuses a reasonable direction to lower the windows creates an unsafe situation for everyone involved. Cooperation from the motorist would easily have prevented this incident from escalating.”
Taylor said the traffic stop stained his reputation.
He does not have a criminal record. But because of the obstruction of governmental administration charge, he had to go to court. Get fingerprinted. Stand for a mugshot.
“I feel like, what was the purpose of this?” he said. “I feel like they wanted me to be in the system. The situation was not supposed to play out like that.”
— Kayla Canne reports on community justice and safety efforts for the Democrat and Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter @kaylacanne and @bykaylacanne on Instagram. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Body-worn camera footage shows how Rochester NY traffic stop escalated
