A black driver got a Dayton police officer to admit to pulling him over for making “direct eye contact” with him in a video sent to talk show host David Pakman.
The video was posted online earlier this month by the driver John Felton. Felton, who has Michigan tags, says he started recording when he noticed an officer was following him on the way to his mother’s Dayton home. “He just needed a reason. Why would you follow me every step of the way, every turn I make?” Felton says.
He eventually is pulled over, and the officer claims Felton did not turn on his signal 100 feet before making the turn. The officer asks for identification from Felton and his passenger before deciding to let them off with a warning. However, it’s Felton who now doesn’t let the officer off the hook.
“You’ve been tailing me for how long? You just needed a reason to pull me over,” Felton says in the video. “No disrespect, I don’t have nothing against police officers, but all this sh*t that’s going on now? That’s some scary sh*t. To have a police officer just tail you, and then you pull me over, because you said I didn’t signal — what? Do you know how it looks?”
Felton asks the officer for a second time why he was pulled over. “Because you made direct eye contact with me, and you held on to it while I was passing you,” the officer responds.
“What? I didn’t even see you,” Felton says in disbelief.
“I’m not gonna argue about it anymore, sir. If you want to keep talking, though, I’ll just get your license back and give you a citation for the violation, and we can take it to court. I’m not gonna argue about it anymore,” the officer responds.
“OK, sir,” Felton said. “This is bullsh*t,” Felton says to his passenger as the cop returns to his vehicle.