Cop Arrested For Squealing His Tires Sues Police Department
Read the full story on The Auto Wire
A Chicago police officer who was on vacation in Tempe, Arizona was arrested for allegedly squealing the tires on his rental Dodge Charger. Now, he's lawyered up and has announced he intends to sue the police department for violating his civil rights.It all went down in August 2024 on Mill Avenue, a street that's heavily patrolled by Tempe Police Department, something Jalen Woods probably didn't know. But what Tempe bike officers didn't know at the time is they were dealing with a fellow cop, not just some random suspect.
As Woods' attorney says, 'he knows his rights, he knows the law' and that's why he hasn't let Tempe Police skate on his arrest. A filing with the court says the incident was 'malicious prosecution' and constitutes a 'false arrest.'
Bodycam footage obtained by ABC15 shows Officer Woods was rapidly pulled over after allegedly squealing the Mopar's tires, then asked to exit the vehicle. Immediately, he was handcuffed.
But the bodycam footage doesn't show the Charger's tires spin at all and you can't hear the Hemi V8 engine rev, which is what officers claim they heard. City prosecutors later dropped the case. But the ordeal is far from over for Tempe.
Woods' attorney alleges the officers were profiling as they repeatedly asked if there were guns or jewelry in the 'fancy' Dodge.
Even after they found out Woods is a cop, officers didn't slow down and make sure they had their ducks in a row. In fact, they gave him a lecture about how he should know better.
We've personally seen this kind of behavior before as police often like to target performance cars, saying they appeared to be going fast, chirping tires, or revving their engine.
Tempe Police impounded the rental car, presumably so they could search it thoroughly. However, they didn't find anything illegal inside. Now the city has an expensive lawsuit on its hands it will likely settle out of court.
Image via ABC15 Arizona/YouTube
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