On August 12th, 2022, Ebony Washington, who was pregnant, was driving home with her three children. Officer Jacob Doo from the Bradford County Sheriff's Office spotted her car speeding at 72 mph in a 55 mph zone. Officer Doo immediately switched on his lights and sirens, indicating that she needed to pull over. In response, Miss Washington slowed down and activated her hazard lights, but kept driving, preferring to stop in a well-lit area due to the darkness. Officer Doo didn't appreciate this move, resulting in an unexpected and unfortunate series of events. 4854 has his blankers on, maintaining speed of 58 mph. Traveling northbound getting to Sale start vehicle will put you into the ground. Stop the vehicle. Where is that? Turn off the vehicle right now. Turn off the vehicle right now. I want to see your hands. Both your hands. Both your hands. Do not move. You make any movement, that will be your last mistake you're going to make. Do not move. After driving with her hazard lights on for about 3 minutes, Miss Washington reached a convenience store parking lot and stopped. At this point, an agitated officer, Due, exited his patrol car, drew his gun, and aimed it at Miss Washington, shouting for her to turn off her vehicle and show her hands. Florida's official guidelines advise citizens to remain calm, slow down, and pull over in a safe location when they see police lights or hear a siren. A local law firm also states drivers should pull over and stop when signaled by law enforcement, but if there's no immediate safe place, they should slow down to indicate they're looking for one. Miss Washington's actions were in line with these guidelines. Sheriff Gordon Smith confirmed she did everything correctly, including using her hazard lights and slowing down as law enforcement advises. Driver, with your left hand, open up the door. Won't you unlock it then for me? I ain't worried. I got my gun on you. We're all good here. Step out. Okay. Go ahead. Take it off. Take it off. Try something, sir. Step out. I have my three. Who else is in the vehicle? I have my I'm trying to talk. I have my three kids in the car. Okay. And the reason why I did not stop is because I'm in the middle of nowhere and my cousin tell me not. I I Your excuse means nothing to me right now. I don't want to hear it. You asked me that. Good. Good. You asked me a question. Cool. Awesome. You want to turn around for me? Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. All right. Got my 17-y old, my 10-year-old. Okay. And my um one-year-old. Cool. I've never been pulled over like this before. You don't know how traffic stop works? Yes. You don't know that? A vehicle's behind you with license silence for a mile. You're not going to move over, sir. Are you Stop. I'm pregnant, sir. I'm four months pregnant. Okay. The only reason I'm handling right now. I have you in handcuffs, right? I know that. The only reason why I I'm trying to tell you the only reason why I didn't stop. I'm a married educated woman, okay, with a master's degree. I swear to Lord knows I'm not doing I was only not because it's dark out and I have four three kids with me. I'm pregnant and I did not want them to feel uncomfortable. Cool. That's why I put my hazard lights on. And then all that is shady. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing right now. That's understandable. And now I got them coming cuz it's a big old thing you had to make of it. Cool. Awesome. You can check everything. Anything you want to check. I am I'm going to I wish I would have done that over there. I could have given you a warning for Steve and get you on your way. Absolutely. I'm just telling you why. Cuz I don't care about why. Just shut up. Yes, sir. About the why. Yes, sir. Don't care about the why. Despite Miss Washington's polite and reasonable language and her attempts to explain the problem, Officer Doo did not listen to her and reacted very harshly. The police officer's behavior from the beginning of the incident shows that he suffers from an ego problem due to the high level of authority given to him. I'm sorry. 554. There's three kids in there. Just check on me. See if they're okay. [Music] What is your first name? Ebony. Eb o n y ebony. Mhm. Last name Washington. Middle name? Rana. R O N Y A L. First initial. O. O. No. I thought I was just saying R. R. I thought you were saying. What's your date of birth? 42883. Um, Morgan Road. That's when my lights went on from there to here. Huh? That's good. Did you hear the lights? Did you see the light? 5548 1065. Name date of birth. First name Ebony. Echo bravo Oscar November Yankee. Middle name Romeo. Last name Washington like a state. Date of birth of 42883. Barbstro. Y'all doing? Okay. Okay. We'll get you on your way in a minute. 484.9. [Music] So that was the only reason and I'm I'm sorry. Stop. No, I need to stop. I wasn't not stopping because I thought it was someone else. I just wanted to be in light. I've never gotten pulled over like that in the dark and I and especially with my kids in the car. I just did not want to be in the dark on the side of the road with my kids. I wanted to just make it to the gas station. So, I slowed down. I turned on my hazards and I just was coming to the gas station. That's it. I live in Jacksonville. My daughters just got their hair done and I was going back home. My husband's waiting on me. That's that's it. I'm I'm not lying. I know it knows I'm not. So, and I apologize. It was not a bad It was not the best decision. So, especially you're from Jacksonville. What do you think would happen if you done that in Jacksonville? Well, I don't know. Had about 15 cars behind me. I'm usually not even this late. I was I was going to be mad cuz they're just getting finished getting their hair done and I'm just literally leaving home. I meant leaving him there to go home. But I mean I have no You ever been arrested anything before? No. I've never been arrested. I'm a educated woman, a teacher, have a master's degree. I've been teaching for over 10 years. I have my own business. 5540 55. Can you run David for that? It was clear from every sentence that officer Doo had an anger problem. But was it reasonable under departmental rules for officer Due to point his gun at Miss Washington and threaten to shoot her in the first place? The use of force by law enforcement is a critical issue for both the public and officers. Officers may use reasonable force as needed, and drawing a firearm should be based on the tactical situation and the officer's belief in its necessity. When a firearm is used to gain compliance, it must be documented. If Officer Doo felt threatened by Miss Washington, not pulling over immediately, drawing his weapon might be briefly justified. However, once she explained and posed no threat, he should have deescalated and holstered his gun. The 9inth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that pointing guns at compliant non-threatening individuals is a constitutional violation, indicating officer Due likely violated Miss Washington's rights. I swear to God. I don't know. I don't know. What did you think? I I mean, you said you're educated, right? Master, what did you think the outcome was going to be? I had the license iron on. You failed to stop. My PA was on too, yelling at you. I You didn't You didn't decelerate speed. I didn't I did decelerate. Decelerate mean decrease my speed, right? Yes, sir. I was going 55 and it was 65 at the time. Um, no I wasn't going 55 when the lights came off. I was going 70. I was going to pull you over because I got you doing 75 at that light back there. Okay. It goes from a 75 to a 55 real quick. Easy enough. I was going to pull you over, give you a warning. Check your license and get you on your way. I started having my lights on since then. Yes. Since here. Now it's about over a mile. No, no, no. I'm I'm I'm talking. Okay. You're done talking. Okay. So from there to there, license sirens over and over again. Yes, you maintain your speed. You're at 60 mph the whole way. Still not pulling over. That's suspicious. That's very suspicious. That has me concerned. That has everyone concerned. Okay. So that's what's like I said, it will be a simple warning. Now we're in this debacle right now because you don't know how a traffic stop works. You've never seen enough TV shows or you have the conscience to even think that you need to pull your vehicle over regardless of you being scared. I understand there there's there's a there's there's a whole facade around law enforcement traffic stops. I get that. I understand. But you're you're you're being scared is what's got you in this mess right now. Yes. Versus you being confident of knowing how traffic Yeah. Okay. I was moving here. He's out here by himself. I understand. I'm not arguing with anybody. I'm not disagreeing. Good. I'm not saying I wasn't speeding at the time, but when he turned his lights on, I did. I did not go faster, slow down. When I put my lights on, that was why they're all like hell. So, you've been pulled over before like Fort? Yeah. Yeah. But I was probably It was daylight. There was places you could go to. You felt more safer. Okay. I'm glad it was convenient for you at that time, not for me. I'mma mic her and get her out out of here. That's on you. Put a sold one on it. I'm sorry. You're going to walk to your car. Come on. Can I open up this door right here? Yes. Press. I'm going to take this cuff off you. I want you to stand right here next to your vehicle so you can have contact with your children. Does that make sense? Okay. Okay. You're not getting in the vehicle. You're not touching the steering wheel. You're just going to stand right there. Keep them calm. I'm going to go ahead and write your citation for you and get you on the way. Sound good? Awesome. Good. Yeah. Cool. All right. Thanks for coming. Yeah. See you. I'll take it. Okay. You good, Sergeant? You need to talk to me. Okay, Miss Emmy, here's your citation for speed. 75 and a 55. What I originally pulled you over over there. I didn't give you a ticket for anything else. Okay. Walk away with three tickets. I'm giving you a ticket for speed. Okay. I'm not arguing here. Okay. I know you don't want to hear me talk, but I just want to apologize again. I I kid you not, I have no reason. I swear I was only I know you don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it. Apologize for yourself for not thinking. Okay, how about that? Definitely that. But I'm still Let's go over your citation. You have three days to pay it. Okay. All mine at the courthouse or appearance if you want to. Okay. Two 266. Okay. 30 days to pay it. You have any questions for me? No, sir. Okay. You're a mother. You have kids. You got to get them home. Let's get done with this today. Okay. By the end of the incident, Miss Washington received a speeding citation and was allowed to continue home. A short clip recorded by one of her children was uploaded online, quickly gaining attention and prompting many to question officer Doo's actions. The sheriff's office saw the video on social media, which led them to review the dash cam footage. Sheriff Smith stated that the agency took immediate action upon learning of the encounter. After reviewing the video, they found the officer's behavior inappropriate and not in line with their policies. On August 24th, 2022, a local news outlet reported that the white Florida deputy who pointed a gun at a pregnant black mother was no longer with the department as Sheriff Smith forced him to resign. Sheriff Smith emphasized, "We determined that was something we didn't need representing us or protecting our community." He reassured the community, stating he would hold the sheriff's office to the highest professional standards. On March 23rd, 2021, Sergeant Keith Vidler of the Orange County Sheriff's Office observed serial police impersonator Jeremy Dit, a convicted felon and registered sex offender, riding a motorcycle with a holstered firearm in Orange County, Florida. Dit, known for multiple arrests related to his funeral escort business, Metro State Special Services, was stopped by Sergeant Vidler. The interaction was captured on body camera. Go down to your knees. Go down to your stomach. Do not reach for that firearm. Go down to your stomach now. Do not reach for that firearm. Do not reach for that firearm. You hear me? Yeah, I hear you. Go ahead and secure him. What? He got the firearm on his side. You're being secure cuz you're openly carrying a firearm. What? You're openly carrying a firearm. I'm carrying a pepper ball. You already know that. I do not know that. That is a firearm. That is a firearm right now. Sergeant Vidler pointed his firearm at Jeremy Dwit, ordering him to the ground while another officer handcuffed him. Vidler explained Dit was being secured for openly carrying what appeared to be a firearm. Dit was actually carrying an unloaded pepper ball gun painted to look like a real firearm. Florida law generally prohibits openly carrying firearms. In an exemplary case, it clarified that holstered weapons are considered to be openly carried. Given this, Sergeant Vidler likely had reasonable suspicion to detain Dwite. Courts have ruled that officers can have reasonable suspicion even if mistaken about the facts and can detain individuals with drawn weapons for safety. Therefore, the deputy's actions were likely constitutionally justified. You know, it's pepper ball. That's a firearm. I do not know it's a pepper ball. That looks like a regular firearm. You know it's a pepper ball. He even told you in the email that it's a pepper. Stay with him. You have anything on you? Roll on your side. All right. Go ahead and stand up. You can stay at your bike. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Leave my camera alone, bro. Leave my camera alone. No, you're not going to talk to me. Okay. I dictate this traffic stop, not you. You understand me? What are you yanking my helmet off? I'm trying to take your helmet off. What are you yanking my helmet off? I'm trying to identify you cuz I can't see you. You're trying to identify me? Go ahead and sit up. Stay right there. What are you doing? What is this? You know it is a fire. No, I do not. You know it's the pepper ball. Stop it, man. All right, I'm going to take it up. All right, Jeremy being arrested for carrying a concealed weapon. Concealed? It was in plain view. Yeah, it's not plain view. It's concealed. That whole thing is What are you talking about? It's in plain view. Florida 9 seconds. What are you talking? Give me a lieutenant. It was just plain view. It's in plain view. How am I being Call for a cage car. After initially claiming he stopped Jeremy Dwite for openly carrying a firearm, Sergeant Vidler later told Dwit he was under arrest for carrying a concealed weapon. According to Florida law, a weapon is considered concealed if it is hidden from ordinary sight. Since Dwit's holstered pepper ball gun was clearly visible, a court would likely find it was not concealed. At the time, Florida law prohibited unlicensed concealed carry. And as a convicted felon, do it couldn't legally obtain a concealed carry license. Both state and federal laws prohibit felons from possessing firearms. Florida law also makes it illegal for felons to possess or carry concealed weapons, including pepper ball guns if considered weapons. Despite the pepper ball guns likely classification as a non-fire, Dwit, as a felon, could not carry a concealed weapon legally. Notably, a recent law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis allows some Florida citizens to carry concealed weapons without a license. However, it still prohibits felons from concealed carry, meaning Dwit remains unable to lawfully carry a concealed weapon under the new law. Okay, give me a lieutenant. Go ahead and stand up, Jeremy. Give me a lieutenant. Give me a Jeremy, be quiet. It was a plane. [Music] Have him call for a record for the bike. Sit down. Hear me. He wasn't talking. Sit down. No, I'm telling you to sit down. Go ahead and sit down. On the ground. On the ground till we get a cage car. I don't want you falling back. I'm falling off over the side. Sorry. Let me get a lieutenant. You're not getting a lieutenant. You're going to be quiet. You're going to be quiet. Why am I having to Why is 970 not valid now? Why is Stephen Casey Miller email not valid now? I don't understand. We're not It was in Jeremy. Jeremy, listen to me. We can carry it. Jeremy, listen to me. Even told us that. Sergeant Sergeant, listen. You're You're free to go. I I don't have anything on you. You're free to go. Take Take my phone off my bike right there. Okay. No. No. No. But you're free to go. Take my phone. No. Chill. Hey, that's my What the is going on? I'm not I wasn't open carrying. Sit down. Sit down and be quiet. Where's your Sit down, Jeremy? I'm going to explain this to you right now. And I want you to listen up and I want you to stop running your mouth. All right. You sound like a little child out here running your mouth. Okay, listen to me. Jeremy, listen to me. I'm going to tell it to you. Okay. You're being arrested for carrying a concealed weapon. That's what you're being charged with. When we get off the roadside, I'm not going to argue with you here on the roadside. This isn't the place or time to argue with. Listen to me. When we're done here, I'm going to take you back to station and then we'll talk about it. But I'm not going to argue with you up here on I4. As soon as the car gets here to put you in the car and the record gets here, we'll go talk. Okay. All right. That's it. Sorry. What's that? Yep. All right. What's um what I'm going to do is I'm going to put him in your car. We're probably going to go to um our office for an interview. Okay. Sergeant, why am I being arrested for open carry? That's locked. Jeremy, I already spoke to you and I told you what was going to happen. I told you what was going to happen and that's what's going to happen. I'm going to leave this in your bike cuz you're not going to be able to take this to to the jail. Okay. All right. We're ready. Okay. Thanks. Appreciate it. Um here here's the thing, too. I'm My camera's going. When you get him in the car, do not discuss anything with him. Don't talk to him. Okay. How is that concealed? Sergeant, how is that Okay, Jeremy, we're going to go ahead and stand up and go back to the car. Ready? 1 2 3. So, Sergeant, how is it concealed if I wasn't wearing a jacket and you rode up next to me and you clearly saw it? I'm going to I'm going to search right. Okay. Stay right here. Let go. You're you're you're you're destroying my business by doing what you're doing. And I didn't do anything illegal today. I'm not wearing anything over my belt. I'm not hiding anything. You rolled up next to me and you clearly saw it on my wrist. So, how is that carrying a concealed weapon? It's not even a weapon. It's for less lethal purposes, self-defense purposes. How is that illegal? Sergeant, I'm asking you a question. You have enough here to protect us from the accident. So, explain that. Mr. Dit argues that his pepper ball gun is not a weapon because it is for less lethal self-defense. A pepper ball gun, which shoots pepper spray projectiles using compressed CO2 or nitrogen, does not meet Florida's definition of a firearm since it doesn't use explosives. The question of whether a pepper ball gun is a concealed weapon is less clear. Florida law defines concealed weapons to include chemical devices, but it excludes small self-defense sprays. Since Dit openly carried the pepper ball gun and open carry laws only apply to firearms or electric weapons, it's likely a court would rule he did not violate the law. If it was in plain view, it wasn't concealed. It's in plain view. When exactly was it concealed? You're towing my bike and you're putting me into custody for a concealed weapon when it was in plain view. And it wasn't a weapon. It's a self-defense pepper ball. And your lawyers at your sheriff's office said it wasn't illegal. Go ahead and get in. Slide in. Watch your knee. There you go. Oh, now you want to be nice. Just hang tight here until the tow truck. Once I get the bike loaded, we'll go back to the motor office. Got it. Okay. Mr. Dwite was booked into the Orange County Jail on a $5,000 bond and admitted during an interview that he carried the pepper ball gun to appear as though he had a real firearm for compliance. The sheriff's office found the pepper ball was not a concealed weapon under Florida law and no charges were filed. An investigation revealed Sergeant Vidler targeted Dwit due to a previous racketeering case. The investigation concluded Vidler should have released Dit since the pepper ball was in plain view. Vidler was terminated on October 4th, 2021 and later sued the sheriff, alleging retaliation. Dwit faced no charges from this incident, but was arrested on January 19th, 2023 for nine felonies related to insurance fraud and failing to comply with sex offender registration. These charges along with other charges in Okaloosa County and federal tax fraud charges are still pending.