After being pulled over for going 70 mph in a 55-mph zone, a woman publicly accused the police officer of racism and violent intent. However, just after she gained popularity for her allegation, the police chief ordered the bodycam footage to be released.
While traveling back to her home state, a South Carolina woman was unexpectedly pulled over in Brunswick County, Virginia. Dawn Hilton-Williams was reportedly speeding down the rural road, going 70 mph in a 55-mph zone. Unfortunately for her, the officer believed she was due a ticket.
Expecting a typical traffic stop, the unidentified officer checked her license and registration before informing her that she was going 15 mph over the speed limit and would have the option of paying a ticket or attending a court summons. It was immediately following the encounter that Hilton-Williams took to social media over what she claimed was a “racist” and nearly deadly experience, according to WTVR.
“I was just bullied by a racist cop, who threatened to pull me out of the car,” said Hilton-Williams in the 11-minute long Facebook video. “This is where we got lynched. This is where we got lynched, even in today’s day.”
Hilton-Williams compared her experience to that of Sandra Bland, who became belligerent during a traffic stop and was threatened with a taser by the arresting officer. She was found dead in a jail cell several days later, which was subsequently ruled as a suicide.
“I mean pulling you out of a car doesn’t seem like a big deal, but when you are African-American and you get pulled out of the car you get shot or you get Tased, or you get Sandra Blanded,” said Hilton-Williams. “I said, ‘I’m not putting my signature on that ticket.’ He said ‘if you don’t sign this ticket, then I’m going to pull you out of the car and I’ll arrest you, and I’ll impound the car,'” she said tearfully in the video.
Soon after Hilton-Williams’ accusations went viral on Facebook, Brunswick County Sheriff Brian Roberts was inundated with calls blaming him for allowing the racist actions of his officer. It was then that he decided to launch his own investigation into the incident.
After carefully reviewing his officer’s bodycam footage, Sheriff Roberts knew that he had to release the uncut video for all of Hilton-Williams’ outraged supporters. Unfortunately for her, the footage revealed that the encounter didn’t quite go as she initially claimed.
“Alright ma’am, what I have here for you is a traffic summons for Brunswick County General,” the deputy said.
“Where is the sign that says it’s 55 mile per hour?” Hilton-Williams began to argue with the deputy, who informed her that there are several signs posted along the road.
Upset over receiving a ticket, Hilton-Williams told the officer she “will not be paying this ticket.” He explained that if she doesn’t want to pay it, she can plead her case in court at a later date. He only asked that she sign the ticket so that they could both be on their way. Of course, the indignant woman wasn’t about to comply.
“I’m not going to sign that ticket,” Hilton-Williams replied. “I don’t have to sign it.”
“So, what you are signing here is a promise to either come to court or promise to prepay. It is not an admission of guilt,” the deputy explained. “It’s only a promise to me that you’re going to get it taken care of by either coming to court or prepaying it. If you refuse to sign the summons at this point, I’m gonna have to get you out of the side of the police car, place you under arrest and take you in front of a magistrate. I will get your vehicle towed and go from there. So, yes ma’am you do not have a choice.”
https://youtu.be/-PWq0I0yKvc?t=98
After giving the officer a difficult time, Hilton-Williams ultimately signed the ticket. The pair then parted without incident. However, it was directly following the traffic stop that the scorned driver decided to upload a video testimony, slandering the deputy as a “racist” and suggesting that he wanted to tase or shoot her for being black.
“We’ve had dash cams for 10 years and body cams on our persons for about three or four. It’s to protect the public and our agency. This is a fine example. This entire incident was recorded on a body camera and it’s all lies,” said Sheriff Roberts. “This video here, there are things I could go over and critique the officer on, it’s not racial things, it’s not hate things.”
Once the footage was released to the public, Hilton-Williams began to see her support turn to condemnation, accusing her of lying about the interaction, especially her claim that the deputy threatened to drag her out of her car. However, she soon doubled-down on her accusations in yet another video interview.
“Get or pull. All he had to do was say step out of the car ma’am. I felt that it was threatening and I didn’t feel safe because he’s got the gun and he’s got the badge,” she said. “I wish society was different, I wish it wasn’t normalized. I wish that everybody’s traffic stop was the same so that people would just feel normal. I certainly did feel Sandra Bland. I saw that and felt it… like that was about to happen to me. Like, what do I need to do and that I was scared.”
Sheriff Roberts expressed his disgust with Hilton-Williams’ false accusations, reiterating that such tropes lead to good officers getting targeted by activists who believe the lie that cops are mass murderers. He concluded that the case is resolved and that he has not received a formal complaint from Hilton-Williams concerning alleged racism or abuse.
Dawn Hilton-Williams told the media that she plans on filing a complaint, but no such action was taken. She ultimately failed to pay her ticket or appear in court and was guilty of speeding and ordered to pay $160.
