Video footage of the incident was filmed by Porsha Shields, the pregnant fiance of Robert Morton, the man seen in the recording being confronted by Mississippi law enforcement officials. The recording begins after Morton is ordered out of his vehicle by an officer who initiates a traffic stop.
At this point, the pair are engaged in a conversation in which Morton is attempting to obtain the officer’s reason for pulling him over. The official responds, explaining that he’d pulled over Morton and a second unidentified driver for exceeding the speed limit.
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“I pulled you over at 101 [mph]; I had him at 90 [mph]. I was trying to pull both of you over,” the officer states, before eventually instructing Morton to place his hands behind his back, because he’s being detained. After Morton recounts the series of events that has unfolded, the highway patrolman indicates that the driver is then being arrested for speeding and resisting arrest.
Video shows that the officer later pulls away and draws his department-issued stun gun on Morton, who is seen standing behind his vehicle with his arms raised. It’s at this point that officer orders Morton to show him his license, a request that immediately draws confusion from Shields.
“Now you want the license? Now you want him to get on the ground? What do you want him to do?” Shields asks. “What do you want him to do?”
Seconds later, a backup officer responds to the scene. The video shows him immediately jumping into the scene, placing his right hand on Morton’s neck and saying, “Put your damn hands behind your back.”
The same officer later picks Morton up and slams him onto the ground. The remainder of the video captures both officers attempting to place Morton in handcuffs.
According to Keyzz Entertainment Television, both Morton and Shields were taken into custody. Morton was reportedly charged with “speeding, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, seat belt violation, failure to provide identification, and $35 for breaking the officer’s whistle,” while Shields was hit with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct charges.
In a statement to the outlet, Shields explained that the second officer on the scene became aggressive with her when she informed him that she was pregnant. “I truly felt that I should have never told him I was pregnant, because it seemed like he became more aggressive,” she explained. “And, what hurts the most is knowing that my four-year-old son witnessed me screaming, crying and getting assaulted, as this event will psychologically impact us forever.”
Sputnik has reached out to the Mississippi Highway Patrol for comment on the incident. Officials did not respond by the time this article was published.
