THE WEATHER AUTHORITY FORECAST WITH CHIEF METEOROLOGIST JOHN GAUGHAN. CONTINUES.
♪
>> AN UPDATE NOW ON NEWS. 4
JAX. I TEAM INVESTIGATION OF A
TRAFFIC STOP LATE LAST MONTH
OF A LOCAL NAVY VETERAN WHO
WAS ACCUSING OFFICERS WITH A
JACKSONVILLE POLICE TASK FORCE
OF RACIAL PROFILING AFTER
VIEWING BODY-WORN CAMERA VIDEO
OF THE INCIDENT. A LEGAL
EXPERT IS WEIGHING IN ON THE
OFFICER’S ACTIONS. CHARK IS
JOINING US NOW. HE BROKE THIS
STORY ORIGINALLY AND IS HERE
WITH THE NEW INFORMATION TO
OUR WE KNOW THERE ARE 2 SIDES
TO THIS STORY. THE DRIVER
BRAXTON SMITH SAYS WHEN POLICE
INITIATED THIS TRAFFIC STOP,
HE DROVE 300 YARDS THE FINAL
WELL IN PLACE TO PULL OVER.
AND THEN THERE’S THE
PERSPECTIVE OF THE JSO TASK
FORCE MEMBER. SO OFTEN TIMES
DEAL WITH SOME OF
JACKSONVILLE’S, MOST VIOLENT
CRIMINALS. WHILE OFFICERS WERE
PREPARED FOR THE WORST-CASE
SCENARIO, A LAWYER NOT
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CASE SAYS
POLICE WENT TOO FAR.
>> ROUGHLY 30 MINUTES AFTER
THIS CONFRONTATIONAL TRAFFIC
STOP INVOLVING NAVY VETERAN
REX AND SMITH AND JSO TASK
FORCE MEMBERS. THIS HOUR. A
BLACK THE POLICE ASKING A
QUESTION HOW MANY TIMES IS
THAT MANY DIFFERENT TIRES TURN
ON THE OFFICERS? FIND NO
EVIDENCE OF A CRIME AND DECIDE
NOT TO PRESS CHARGES AGAINST
SMITH. BUT BEFORE RELEASING
SMITH, THE ARRESTING OFFICER
EXPLAINS WHY THEY AGGRESSIVELY
PUT HIM IN HANDCUFFS. THAT’S
WHY THE HEAD KEEPING OUT THE
CAR. ONCE YOU’VE TAKEN THANKS
HALF A SECOND FOR YOU. GRAB
THE GUN ISSUE. IT TAKES ME ON
A GOOD DAY. 1.8 SECONDS TO
GRAB MY GUN ISSUE.
>> SO THAT MEANS I CAN GET
SHOT ABOUT 3, 4, TIMES BEFORE
GET A GUN AT SO THESE ARE THE
GUYS THAT I GOT TO DEAL WITH.
MAN AFTER POLICE INITIATED A
TRAFFIC STOP. THEY SAY BRAXTON
SMITH DROVE APPROXIMATELY 300
YARDS BEFORE HE PULLED OVER.
>> SMITH SAYS HE WAS TRYING TO
FIND A SAFE PLACE TO STOP.
WHILE POLICE THOUGHT HE WAS
TRYING TO GET AWAY.
>> JUST ASKING, WHY ARE YOU
STOPPING WE SHOWED THE BODY
CAMERA VIDEO TO DEFENSE
ATTORNEY LAUREN PRATER WHO IS
NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CASE.
SHE SAYS IN HER OPINION JSO
TASK FORCE MEMBERS WENT TOO
FAR. SO HE PUTS HIS HAND OUT
THE WINDOW WITH HIS LICENSE
AND REGISTRATION. HE DID TAKE
A SECOND TO TAKE TO GET HIS
LICENSE AND REGISTRATION, PUT
HIS HANDS OUT THE WINDOW. THEN
HE’S THROWN OUT THE CAR WITH
THE SEAT BELT STILL ON. I
MEAN, AGAIN, HE LISTEN TO THE
OFFICER’S COMMANDS. YOU
ACTUALLY WANT TO STEP FURTHER
AND GIVE THE OFFICERS WHAT
THEY WHAT WE THINK THAT, YOU
KNOW, OFFICERS WOULD TYPICALLY
ASK FOR. SO AGAIN, HE COMPLIED
WITH THE OFFICER’S DEMANDS. I
UNDERSTAND THAT COPS HAVE A
DUTY TO PROTECT AND SERVE.
AND, YOU KNOW, THESE OFFICERS
THAT SHOULD BE THEIR GOALS.
>> BUT I JUST FEEL LIKE THAT
WENT A STEP TOO FAR IN THIS
>> CAM VIDEO REVEALS JSO
OFFICERS TRIED TO FIND A
VIOLATION TO CHARGE SMITH WITH
FIRST QUESTIONING WHETHER THE
NAVY VETERAN THROUGH HIS
HOLSTERED HANDGUN INTO THE
TRUNK FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT
WHEN HE WAS BEING PULLED OVER
BACK SEAT OPEN UP
♪
♪
♪ ♪ >> IT IS
>> YOU PUT IT BACK THERE.
WHENEVER YOU
>> TRAVIS OVERSEE DOWN AND THE
WELL, I HAVE A SICK LITTLE
WALKED WAS WITH CLEAR. AGAIN,
IT’S IT’S FRUSTRATING BECAUSE
IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THERE’S
SOME FISHING GOING AROUND AND
>> ALL THINGS LIKE WE LOOK AT
IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS.
THIS IS A GENTLEMAN THAT WAS
SITTING IN HIS VEHICLE WITH
HIS SEATBELT ON.
>> WHETHER HE HAD A GUN OR
NOT, IT WAS NOWHERE NEAR IT
WAS IN HIS TRUNK. OFFICERS
ALSO QUESTION SMITH TO WHY HE
DOESN’T HAVE A CONCEALED CARRY
LICENSE FOR ITS FIREARM. THEY
INTERROGATED HIM ABOUT DRUGS
THAT THEY DIDN’T FIND AN
ALLEGED HIS FRONT. 2 WINDOWS
WERE TINTED, TOO DARK. SO MUCH
TRAFFIC PROGRAM IS MESSED UP
LIKE HERE. THINK YOU’RE RIGHT
NOW. OFFICERS TOLD SMITH THEY
LET HIM GO BECAUSE THEY’RE
POLICE EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTION.
PRATER SAYS SMITH CIVIL RIGHTS
MAY HAVE BEEN VIOLATED.
>> I THINK THAT THERE MAY BE A
CASE AGAINST THE OFFICERS
WITHIN THEIR OWN HR AND
INTEGRITY DEPARTMENT TO
INVESTIGATE HOW THEY HANDLE
THIS AND WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS
APPROPRIATE.
>> NEWS 4 JAX IS PUT IN A
PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST FOR THE
NAMES OF THE JSO TASK FORCE
OFFICERS INVOLVED IN THIS
INCIDENT AND THE SPECIFIC TASK
FORCE THAT THEY’RE ASSIGNED
TO. WE ARE WAITING ON THAT
REPLY. JSO OFFICERS SAY THAT
THIS CASE IS UNDER REVIEW
AFTER BRAXTON SMITH FILED A