The Michigan State Police (MSP) is in hot water after video has emerged showing one of their officers running a stop sign at an intersection, causing an accident and then arresting the other driver to frame him for it.
You will also find the footage available at the bottom of the page, courtesy of Fox 2 Detroit. The crash happened in Detroit, when a Jeep Patriot, driven by an undercover officer with the MSP, ran the stop sign. A red vehicle driven by Carlos Martinez T-boned the Jeep, and the force of the impact sent it on the pavement.
After the crash, a man comes out of the Jeep and approaches the red car. When Martinez gets on his knees with his hands up, it becomes clear that the Jeep driver is with the police.
However, he had no right to arrest Martinez, Martinez’s mother, Maria, tells the media outlet. The 27-year-old Martinez doesn’t have a criminal record and has no gang affiliation, wasn’t being actively investigated or chased by the police: he just happened to be at the wrong place and the wrong time, when a cop ran a stop sign.
“All he kept saying was ‘you hit a cop, you hit a cop, you hit a cop,’ and at no moment say ‘how are you, are you okay’,” Maria explains. “The police officer say ‘you're 27 years old, you're old enough, you don't need no parents, and plus you don't have no rights right now’.”
Martinez was handcuffed and taken into custody, like “a criminal,” his mother continues. He wasn’t actually charged with anything (and has since been released to a local hospital), but this was a clear attempt on the part of the cop to cover his share of the blame for the crash.
Maria also claims that her son’s driver’s license and cellphone were confiscated and have not been returned to him, despite the fact that he wasn’t charged with any crime. She tried to contact the cop’s superiors to file a complaint but she hit a wall: the officer refused to give his supervisor’s name.
“You don't treat people like that. We're human beings,” Maria says. She’s now talking to an attorney about her options.
MSP says the accident is under investigation and will not comment on it until it’s finalized. The officer suffered broken ribs and collarbone in the crash, and Martinez was treated for scratches and bruises.
After the crash, a man comes out of the Jeep and approaches the red car. When Martinez gets on his knees with his hands up, it becomes clear that the Jeep driver is with the police.
However, he had no right to arrest Martinez, Martinez’s mother, Maria, tells the media outlet. The 27-year-old Martinez doesn’t have a criminal record and has no gang affiliation, wasn’t being actively investigated or chased by the police: he just happened to be at the wrong place and the wrong time, when a cop ran a stop sign.
“All he kept saying was ‘you hit a cop, you hit a cop, you hit a cop,’ and at no moment say ‘how are you, are you okay’,” Maria explains. “The police officer say ‘you're 27 years old, you're old enough, you don't need no parents, and plus you don't have no rights right now’.”
Martinez was handcuffed and taken into custody, like “a criminal,” his mother continues. He wasn’t actually charged with anything (and has since been released to a local hospital), but this was a clear attempt on the part of the cop to cover his share of the blame for the crash.
Maria also claims that her son’s driver’s license and cellphone were confiscated and have not been returned to him, despite the fact that he wasn’t charged with any crime. She tried to contact the cop’s superiors to file a complaint but she hit a wall: the officer refused to give his supervisor’s name.
“You don't treat people like that. We're human beings,” Maria says. She’s now talking to an attorney about her options.
MSP says the accident is under investigation and will not comment on it until it’s finalized. The officer suffered broken ribs and collarbone in the crash, and Martinez was treated for scratches and bruises.