Caught On Camera: Redlands Man Records Police Pulling Him From Vehicle During Traffic Stop
REDLANDS (CBSLA) — A Black man from Redlands recorded police officers as they pulled him from his vehicle during a recent traffic stop.
"If you don't get out of the car, I'm gonna pull you out," an officer can be heard saying in the video.
The driver, Stanley Claiborne, said he was stopped by Redlands police for a broken taillight and tinted windows and did not understand why officers were forcing him out of his car.
"Every time I get pulled over, I'm nervous they might try to get me," he said.
That's why Claiborne said he called his wife to come outside and be a witness to the situation. Neighbors also came out and recorded their own videos.
"They didn't just ask him to get out of the car," Bernadette, a neighbor, said. "They were hands-on dragging him out of the car for no reason."
Police then backed neighbors away from the area, saying they were interfering with an investigation.
"I feel like there's got to be a reason to get out of the car," Claiborne said. "If you ask me for my ID and don't run it, and then you start, that's what scared me."
And Claiborne said it was obvious he was not the only one scared in the altercation.
"I'm big," he said. "I'm a big Black guy."
A spokesperson for the Redlands Police Department declined to comment specifically on the traffic stop, but said they were aware of the video and were looking into it.
"It's unfortunate but that's the danger of asserting your rights in the middle of an unlawful arrest," Alexandra Kazarian, a constitutional rights attorney, said.
She said officers do have room in the law to argue that a person needs to get out of their vehicle in order to secure a scene, but, after watching the video of Claiborne's detention, said it was not necessary.
Claiborne said officers told him that it was standard safety procedure in the city to make people stand outside of their cars during traffic stops.
"If it's the standard procedure in Redlands, then I encourage every Redlands citizen who's had that situation happen to them contact an attorney immediately.
Claiborne was ultimately cited for the broken taillight, tinted windows and failing to change his driver's license address. He is also facing a charge of resisting arrest.
After video of the altercation came to light, Claiborne was asked to speak at a defund the police rally Tuesday night in Redlands. There was also a counter-protest planned in support of law enforcement.
