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The Michigan State Police (MSP) and one of its officers are in hot water after allegedly abusing their authority to frame another driver for an at-fault traffic accident.
A security camera aimed at a road intersection in a southwest Detroit neighborhood captured the moment when a pair of alleged and unidentified MSP officers in an unmarked Jeep Patriot ignored a stop sign and unlawfully crossed the intersection. At that time, 27-year-old Carlos Martinez was driving down the one-way street in a red car when the MSP officer-driven vehicle crossed his path. As a result, the two vehicles collided, sending the Jeep spinning onto the sidewalk.
In the collision, Martinez reportedly suffered scratches and bruises, while the driver of the Jeep sustained a broken rib and collarbone; his passenger reportedly had undisclosed minor injuries. According to statements from Martinez’s mother, who was riding with her son, the MSP officer began trying to intimidate them instead of check on their wellbeing.
“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,'” said Maria Martinez in a statement to Fox 2 Detroit. “No, they just handcuffed him like a criminal.” Martinez recalled her son saying, “Call my parents, call my mother.”
“The police officer say [sic] ‘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.'”
Maria Martinez told the channel that her son is a U.S. citizen without any criminal history or involvement with gangs.
“He has no criminal history. He’s not a criminal, he’s never been in gangs. You don’t treat people like that. We’re human beings,” Martinez continued. She adds that the MSP officer confiscated her son’s phone and license during the arrest, and despite Carlos being relocated to a hospital with no pending charges, she hasn’t been able to get these items back. Meanwhile, the officer who arrested her son allegedly tried to protect his identity by not sharing his supervisor’s contact information.
“The grey car was in the wrong. They didn’t stop,” added an anonymous witness. “Unfortunately, it was the police, but they were in the wrong.”
The Drive contacted the MSP for an update of its ongoing investigation and we will update when we receive comment.
