In a recent development in Florida, a sheriff's deputy resigned after body camera footage recorded him pulling a gun on a pregnant woman during a traffic check.
After seeing a video of the event go viral on social media, the sheriff's department looked over Jason DeSue's bodycam footage and determined he had broken departmental rules. He later resigned from the sheriff's office after the incident.
At midnight on Friday, August 19, pregnant Ebony Washington and her three kids were stopped due to over-speeding. They were on their way to Jacksonville from Gainesville, per reports. She was allegedly traveling at 75 mph in a 55 mph zone, according to Bradford County Sheriff's Deputy, Jason DeSue.
However, Washington activated her emergency lights and continued to drive to find a well-lit place rather than being pulled over straight away.
Ebony Washington described the Florida traffic stop as horrifying
Based on multiple reports, Ebony Washington described this incident as a terrifying traffic stop issued by a Florida sheriff's deputy.
She said:
"It was dark [and I was] with my kids. I felt uncomfortable. I didn’t want to be able to not have anyone else around. I was speeding. I said ‘I am about to get a ticket."
Shortly after, when the Florida deputy, DeSue, arrived, he sounded unhappy, as confirmed by the body camera footage. He was allegedly saying through the police car's speakers:
“Pull the vehicle over, or I’ll put you into the ground.
Later, the deputy got out of his vehicle and pointed his gun at Washington as she turned her car into the gas station parking lot. Reportedly, the video showed Washington apologizing to the deputy while her children were still in the vehicle. She said:
“I’m trying to tell you the only reason why I didn’t stop. I’m a very educated woman with a master’s degree...I was only not because it’s dark out and I have three kids with me. I’m pregnant, and I did not want them to feel uncomfortable.”
DeSue yelled at her, saying:
"Shut up about the why. Don’t care about the why.”
Washington claimed she continued to think about the incident even after it concluded. She asserted that when she was stopped, she was "obliging [and] corresponding."
She said:
“Had I done any type of movement outside of what he asked me to do, that could’ve been the opportunity for him to pull the trigger."
According to sources, Washington eventually received a speeding penalty and left.