Traffic stop turns terrifying for officer dragged by suspect in speeding car
A female Michigan State Police trooper was dragged by a suspect trying to flee in his car from a traffic stop, according to body cam footage of the scene.
A female Michigan State Police trooper was dragged by a suspect trying to flee in his car from a traffic stop, according to bodycam footage from the stop.
"Stop and let me out, stop and let me out now," the female trooper yells to the suspect as a car’s engine revs.
Michigan State Police said the unidentified trooper pulled over a suspect identified as Tavion Beasley during a traffic stop Sunday at about 9 a.m. in Jackson County. The traffic stop was a routine one for speeding, according to the video, until the officer smelled marijuana.
"Do you have marijuana burning right now," the trooper asks the suspect.
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Suspect Tavion Beasley inside his vehicle when a Michigan State Police trooper first pulled him over. (Michigan State Police First District)
"Yes, ma’am," Beasley responded before the situation spirals into chaos.
Michigan State Police said the trooper asked the suspect to exit his vehicle after she witnessed "illegal activity" and that the driver was initially cooperative. The trooper is seen in the video patting down the man before instructing him to walk behind his vehicle.
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"Are you not supposed to be smoking while you’re driving?" the cop asks the man, who agreed he should not be smoking marijuana while driving.
"So, you know it’s illegal to be smoking while you’re driving. … On top of that, you were doing 92 miles an hour," the trooper added.
The suspect is seen talking on his phone at various points in bodycam footage until the trooper instructed him to put his phone down, sit down and stop making phone calls.
Suspect Tavion Beasley checking his phone during a police traffic stop. (Michigan State Police First District)
Beasley then walks toward the driver’s seat of his car as the trooper tries to restrain him by his arm.
"Put it in park," the officer tells the man as the camera captures her trying to prevent him from driving.
She pleaded with him to stop as the car’s engine is heard accelerating and the video ends. Her body camera dislodged during the struggle but was recovered after the incident, police said.
Suspect Tavion Beasley walking back to his vehicle during a traffic stop. (Michigan State Police First District)
"The suspect vehicle continued driving for approximately ½ mile with the trooper partially in the vehicle, reaching speeds near 100 mph before the trooper was able to get the car stopped and get free," Michigan State Police said in a press release.
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The trooper was injured during the incident and "is continuing to recover at home," according to Michigan State Police.
Beasley fled, according to law enforcement, but turned himself in after speaking with his family.
He is being held at the Jackson County Jail on charges of assault with intent to murder, carrying a concealed weapon and assaulting a police officer causing injury. He is being held on $500,000 bond.
A Michigan State Police vehicle. (Michigan State Police/FB)
"The MSP is thankful our trooper is safe and survived the ordeal. As we teach our troopers, there are no routine traffic stops as we never know what we are walking up on. Our troopers are taught to always be ready for anything at a moment's notice as the situation can change," Lt. Rene Gonzalez told Fox News Digital.
Traffic stops frequently present high risk and potentially deadly encounters for police officers. Last year, traffic stops contributed to 7% of all police killings nationwide, the BBC previously reported. A National Fraternal Order of Police leader said officers are cautious during traffic stops because they walk into the situation cold and do not know what dangers a driver may pose.
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An officer in Fort Worth, Texas, returned to the force this summer after a three-year recovery from an incident in 2020 in which a suspect hit the officer with a vehicle and dragged him more than 100 feet. Another trooper in Massachusetts was dragged by a suspect in a Mercedes-Benz before breaking free, hopping into his police cruiser and giving chase.
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