((KEVIN)) A SPEEDING TICKET
DURING A FAMILY CAR RIDE ENDED
WITH A CENTRAL ARKANSAS DAD IN
HANDCUFFS ALL BECAUSE THE
STATE TROOPER SAYS THE DAD
INTERUPTED HIM. THE FAMILY
CLAIMS THE TROOPER ESCALATED
THE SITUATION... USED
EXCESSIVE FORCE... AND IS NOW
BEING PROTECTED BY HIS BADGE.
TONIGHT IN A FOX 16
INVESTIGATES OUR SUSAN EL
KHOURY SHOWS ANOTHER SIDE OF
WHAT HAPPENED.
ALL OF THIS WAS CAPTURED ON
THE TROOPER'S DASH CAM WHAT
I'M ABOUT TO SHOW YOU HAPPENED
IN AROUND 5 MINUTES I TRIED
TO ASK STATE POLICE ABOUT THIS
THEY DECLINED AN INTERVIEW.
THE FAMILY TELLS ME WHAT THEY
DON'T UNDERSTAND IS HOW
THINGS SPUN OUT OF CONTROL SO
QUICKLY. "Okay, so I'mma cite
you for your speeding." IN A
MATTER OF SECONDS A TRAFFIC
STO "If you will let me
speak for a second I'll
explain it to you." TOOK A
TRAUMATIC TUR Step out here"
((MARIO LUNA//DRIVER)) "Coming
across the vehicle&opening the
door and literally pulling me
out." DASH CAMERA FROM THE
STATE TROOPER'S PATROL CAR
ROLLED AS MARIO LUNA WAS
ARRESTE "You're still
resisting, hitting police
car." ((MARIO LUNA//DRIVER))
"You hear the thud of me
hitting the hood of the car."
ALL FOR WHAT STARTED AS A
SPEEDING TICKET ALONG A RURAL
STRETCH OF S 167. ((MARIO
LUNA//DRIVER)) "I have never
heard my daughters cry or yell
like that, ever." BUT REWIND
TO EARLIER THAT DAY AND IT'S
A VERY DIFFERENT PICTURE FOR
THE LUNAS. ((MELISSA LUNA//
MARIO'S WIFE)) "His welcome
into the world, was with
cheers and cries and laughter,
everyone was just&it was
beautiful." AFTER THREE
DAUGHTERS, THEY WELCOMED A SON
A JOY THAT CAME MIXED WITH
FEA ((MELISSA LUNA//
MARIO'S WIFE)) He was having a
hard time breathing." THE
FAMILY HAD TO LEAVE THE
HOSPITAL WHILE THEIR NEWBORN
STAYED IN THE NICU. AS THEY
DROVE HOME ((MARIO
LUNA//DRIVER)) "We're on our
way planning daddy girl time."
FLASHING BLUE LIGHTS TOOK THEM
ON AN UNEXPECTED DETOU
((MARIO LUNA//DRIVER)) We're
waiting for him to pass up and
he ended up being behind us."
THIS INCIDENT REPORT WRITTEN
BY STATE POLICE CORPORAL
CHRISTOPHER HARPER CLAIMS HE
SAW LUNA ON RADAR DRIVING 80
MILES PER HOUR. HARPER WROTE
LUNA "denied the allegations"
AND GAVE EXCUSES LIKE "his
wife just had a baby." HE WENT
ON TO SAY WHEN HE TRIED GIVING
LUNA THE TICKET HE STARTED
"raising his voice in anger
and displayed a hostile look
on his face." LUNA CLAIMS THE
VIDEO SHOWS A DIFFERENT STORY
AS CORPORAL HARPER HANDED
OVER THE TICKET LUNA SAYS
HE AND HIS WIFE TRIED TO
EXPLAIN THEY WEREN'T SPEEDING
((MARIO LUNA//DRIVER)) I'm
telling him sir I'm sorry
there's no way." HE SAYS
CORPORAL HARPER CUT THEM
OF "I'm giving you a court
date step out here, no he
just gave birth. That's not my
problem, he started it." AND
ESCALATED THE SITUATION.
((MARIO LUNA//DRIVER)) "We did
nothing wrong, nothing to
trigger his behavior." FROM
THE BACKSEAT ONE OF LUNA'S
DAUGHTERS FILMED THIS CELL
PHONE VIDEO SHOWING THE
MOMENT HER DAD WAS ARRESTED
SOMETHING THE FAMILY SAYS
CORPORAL HARPER NEVER WARNED
THEM ABOUT. "My wife just gave
birth to my son, are you
serious? I've got to get my
family." ON THE DRIVE TO JAIL
IS WHEN LUNA SAYS HE FINALLY
FOUND OUT WHY HE WAS ARRESTED.
"HARPER STREAM 2" 11:10 "All
you had to do was take the
ticket" "And so you got mad at
me" Because you kept
interrupting me when I was
trying to explain it to you."
"Really, my wife just birth,
my son's in the hospital."
"You should have thought about
that." LUNA AND HIS FAMILY
FILED A COMPLAINT CLAIMING
CORPORAL HARPER USED EXCESSIVE
FORCE BUT SAY THEY HAVEN'T
HEARD BACK. ((MELISSA LUNA))
If I'm still terrified to go
in my car down the road, I
don't want another family to
experience this This has been
hell." THE FAMILY IS TRYING TO
PUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE
REARVIE AND FOCUS ON
FAMIL ALL WHILE FIGHTING TO
MAKE SURE NO OTHER FAMILY
TAKES A BACKSEAT TO A BADGE.
((MARIO LUNA//DRIVER)) "We're
not going to stop until we
know that this is cleared up."
A STATE POLICE SPOKESMAN TOLD
ME THIS INCIDENT LED THE
DEPARTMENT TO OPEN ITS OWN
INVESTIGATION INTO CORPORAL
HARPER BEFORE THE LUNAS
FILED THEIR COMPLAINT.
CORPORAL HARPER WASN'T
SUSPENDED OR FIRED OVER THIS
WHICH MEANS PRIVACY LAWS
NOW PROTECT HIM AND THE
DEPARTMENT FROM HAVING TO
RELEASE THE RESULTS OF THAT
INVESTIGATION. I DID ASK IF
WHAT YOU JUST SAW IN THE DASH
CAM VIDEO FOLLOWS STATE POLICE
POLICIES AND WAS TOLD IT
DOESN'T. YOU CAN READ THE FULL
STATEMENT I GOT FRO STATE
POLICE RIGHT NOW JUST HEAD
TO OUR WEBSITE FOX16 DOT COM.
BACK TO YOU.
((KEVIN)) IF YOU OR SOMEONE
YOU KNOW HAS FALLEN VICTIM
SOMETHING LIKE THI OR IF
YOU HAVE ANY OTHER CONCERNS
YOU'D LIKE US TO LOOK INT
JUST GIVE US A CALL AT THE
NUMBER ON YOUR SCREEN OR EMAIL
US AT 'INVESTIGATIONS AT FOX
16 DOT COM.
((KEVIN)) THE FIRST FEMALE