According to bodycam footage from a traffic stop, a female trooper of the Michigan State Police was dragged by a suspect attempting to escape in his vehicle.
“Stop and let me out, stop and let me out now,” the female trooper yells to the suspect as the car’s engine revs.
On Sunday morning at 9 a.m. in Jackson County, an unidentified cop stopped a suspect identified as Tavion Beasley, according to the Michigan State Police. According to the video, the traffic stop for speeding was routine until the officer detected the odor of marijuana.
“Are you currently burning marijuana?” the officer queries the suspect.
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Beasley responded, “Yes, ma’am,” before the situation descended into pandemonium.
According to the Michigan State Police, the trooper requested the suspect depart his vehicle after observing “illegal activity,” and the driver initially cooperated. In the video, the trooper is seen patting down the individual before instructing him to proceed behind his vehicle.
“Are you prohibited from smoking while operating a motor vehicle?” The officer asks the individual if he agrees that he should not smoke marijuana while driving.
“So, you’re aware that smoking while driving is prohibited… In addition, you were traveling at 92 miles per hour,” the officer added.
Throughout the bodycam footage, the suspect can be seen talking on his phone until the trooper instructs him to put down his phone, settle down, and cease making phone calls.
The trooper attempts to restrain Beasley by his arm as Beasley proceeds toward the driver’s seat of his vehicle.
“Put it in park,” the officer instructs the man as the camera captures her efforts to stop him from driving.
As the car’s engine is heard accelerating and the video ends, she begs him to halt. During the struggle, her body camera became dislodged, but it was recovered after the incident, police said.
“The suspect vehicle continued driving for approximately half a mile with the trooper partially inside, reaching speeds close to 100 miles per hour, before the trooper was able to stop the car and escape,” Michigan State Police stated in a press release.
According to Michigan State Police, the trooper sustained injuries during the incident and is still recovering at home.
According to law enforcement, Beasley fled, but after communicating with his family, he turned himself in.
He is being detained at the Jackson County Jail on charges of assault with the intent to murder, carrying a concealed weapon, and assaulting a police officer with the intent to injure. His bond has been set at $500,000.
“The MSP is relieved that our soldier is secure and survived the ordeal. As we instruct our troopers, we do not conduct routine traffic encounters because we never know what we will encounter. Lt. Rene Gonzalez told Fox News Digital that our troopers are trained to be ready for anything at a moment’s notice because the situation can alter at any time.
Police officers frequently face dangerous and potentially lethal situations during traffic investigations. The BBC previously reported that traffic stops contributed to 7% of all police murders in the United States in the last year. A leader of the National Fraternal Order of Police stated that officers are cautious during traffic stops because they do not know what hazards a driver may present.
This summer, a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, returned to duty following a three-year recovery from an incident in 2020 in which a suspect struck the officer with a vehicle and carried him over 100 feet. Another Massachusetts trooper was dragged by a suspect in a Mercedes-Benz before breaking free and fleeing in his police cruiser.
