Westfield police launch investigation after YouTuber alleges officer wrote fraudulent ticket
The traffic stop happened on Aug. 6. Officer Ayad Taha can be heard telling the driver he was speeding.
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The Westfield Police Department is investigating a traffic stop initiated by one of its officers after a YouTuber alleges the officer wrote a fraudulent ticket.
The video was posted by the Youtuber Lackluster. It appears to show the officer pulling over a driver for going 48 mph in a 35-mph zone.
But Lackluster alleges that the driver was not speeding. He claims that the driver told him that he made an obscene gesture toward the officer, and this is why the officer pulled him over.
The traffic stop happened on Aug. 6. Officer Ayad Taha can be heard telling the driver he was speeding. The driver refused to answer any questions and only provided his license, registration and proof of insurance. Two other police officers ended up coming to the call.
The driver can be heard saying that he records all of his vehicle’s data and says that he was not speeding.
Taha eventually gave the driver a ticket for careless driving.
The video currently has more than 350,000 views.
Westfield police issued a statement about the accusations.
“A recent traffic stop conducted by one of our officers and posted to social media has been brought to my attention and was referred to our Internal Affairs/Professional Standards Unit,” officials wrote. “The allegations made in this video will be thoroughly and completely investigated, this to determine if the officer’s actions were lawful and proper.”
[youtube]https://youtu.be/xZlS0V7Z_k8[\youtube]
