A Florida cop claimed he confronted two Black teenagers at gunpoint last week because they pulled up behind him and began blaring their car horn, ordering him to “get the f-ck out the road!”
The Fort Myers police officer also claimed he tasered one of the teens because the teen injured his arm while trying to pull his friend away to keep him from being arrested, which is why that teen was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer.
But the videos that have gone viral do not necessarily show any of that. And multiple witnesses can be heard on the videos saying the cop needlessly escalated the incident by pulling out his gun on the teens who were not armed and were not threatening the officer.
However, Fort Myers Police Chief Jason Fields issued a statement to local media saying the video “represents only a segment of the actual incident.”
But so far, Fort Myers police have not released any body or dash cam footage that would show the entire incident, despite requests from media, including Atlanta Black Star. And they probably won’t do so until the investigation is complete, which usually takes months.
“As the review progresses, we will provide updates while maintaining the integrity of the process,” Chief Fields said in his statement to the media. “We ask for your patience as we conduct a fair and comprehensive assessment of the events.”
E’Zarius Lockwood, 19, was arrested on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office website. And Easter Alexander, 18, was arrested on a single charge of resisting arrest without violence.
While the officer is claiming to be a victim, even filing a petition with the court to keep his name private, the teens say they were the victims.
“I feared for my life, so I wasn’t even trying to move,” Alexander told Fox 4 News.
The teens acknowledged to local media that they honked the horn because he was blocking access to a lot where neighborhood teens gather, but they made it seem as if they simply tapped the horn once. And they did not admit to telling the cop to “get the f-ck off the road.”
The families of the teens have met with James Muwakkil, president of the Lee County Chapter of the NAACP who has requested a meeting with Chief Fields, according to Gulf Coast News.
Watch the videos below.
The Arrest Report
The cop claimed in his report that he was sitting in his patrol car with the passenger window down, talking to another Black man standing on the sidewalk wearing a ski mask, which he said is illegal in Florida.
The cop then claimed the two teens pulled up behind him in an SUV driven by Alexander and began blaring the horn, yelling at him profanely to get off the road.
The cop claimed he tried to pull the SUV over for violating a city ordinance that forbids “loud, disturbing, and unnecessary noises,” including car horns unless they are being used as a “danger warning” but they refused to stop, driving around the patrol car and into the empty lot.
The cop also claimed he was pulling them over for violating a city ordinance regarding dark tints.
However, the cop claimed they refused to stop as they “continued driving in a u-turn motion,” the arrest report states, even telling him, “no, it’s not,” when he informed them it was a traffic stop.
At one point, they did stop and step out of the SUV, which is when the cop drew his gun, telling them to get back into the SUV.
But the teens said they were afraid he was going to shoot them in the back if they tried reentering the vehicle, which is why they refused.
“I asked him, ‘What you going to do, shoot me?’“ Alexander told Gulf Coast News.
“He was like, ‘Get in the car,’ but I know me, and if I get in the car, he’s going to be able to shoot me. Really, I was scared and feared for my life,” he added.
The footage that has gone viral begins with the cop pointing his gun at the teens, telling them to “get in the car or you’re going to jail.”
He then re-holsters his gun and walks up to Alexander and grabs him to arrest him, spinning him around in an attempt to bring him down, but Lockwood begins pulling his friend away.
The cop then tries to grab Lockwood, telling him to “get on the ground,” but Lockwood pulls away, which is when the cop tasers him, causing him to fall to the ground.
The cop then places his knee on Lockwood’s back and pulls out his gun again, pointing it at people in the crowd who are criticizing his actions. More cops arrive, and the cop re-holsters his gun.
“He tasered him for no reason at all,” a man in the crowd says.
The teens told local media the cop escalated the situation by drawing his gun simply because they stepped out of the SUV after getting pulled over.
“He didn’t have to come out the car and put his firearm on us,” Lockwood told Gulf Coast News.
“He could be like, ‘You guys come talk to me and everything.’ It didn’t have to go that far,” Lockwood continued.
