Recently released dash cam footage shows the harrowing moment when cops pulled California resident Jamie Rodgers over on his way to work.
Suspecting that he was driving a stolen car, an officer commands a terrified Rodgers “Driver, this is the Orange County sheriff’s department, you are considered to be armed and dangerous, do exactly as I say, or you could be shot.”
Rodgers had no idea what was going on. Already pulled over, he complies with officer demands until several more officers are seen approaching the vehicle with rifles and pistols drawn.
“I’ve never had assault rifles just lined up, pointed at me,” Rodgers told Fox 11. “My every move is essentially my last.”
Rodgers feared for his safety, not knowing if he would suddenly lose his life.
“Seeing all the guns pointed at me, I just prayed ‘God, please help me through this. I need you to help,'” Rodgers said.
It wasn’t until officers forced Rodgers out of his vehicle and placed him in handcuffs that they realized the SUV he was driving wasn’t actually stolen.
A car dealership in Huntington Beach had mistakenly filed a stolen vehicle report and submitted it to authorities after an alleged clerical error. Rodgers had been loaned this SUV while his own vehicle was undergoing repairs in an agreement that was apparently lost in shuffled paperwork.
According to the Orange County Register, this error reportedly happened because a sheet of paper had fallen behind a filing cabinet. “Apparently, it had fallen behind a file cabinet,” the Register reported. “The dealer received a bill for unpaid tolls, couldn’t find the contract, and assumed it must have been stolen, Rodgers said.”
Rodgers is furious with the dealership and complains about the emotional distress he has suffered still today. He reports suffering from ongoing PTSD that cost him his job as an athletic trainer and forced him to change careers.
“He’s had to reinvent himself,” said Scott Harlan, Rodgers’ attorney. “The problem with these things is an unintentional body movement can lead to death.”
The incident, which happened in June 2021, saw nearly dozen law enforcement officers draw rifles and pistols on him while he was forcibly stopped on the 73 Freeway.
“I’m thinking I’m going to get shot. I’m a Black man being pulled over in Orange County. … I’ve heard too many stories of this happening,” Rodgers told the Orange County Register. “I’m thinking, I’m going to be next.”
In an interview with Inside Edition Rodger’s wife Natalie talked about the moment she heard what had happened.
“I’m thinking, oh my gosh. My husband, who I know is innocent, who happens to be Black, has been pulled over for a felony stop, every thought was going through my mind. How was he treated? Was he thrown to the ground? Is he in jail somewhere? I was terrified for him,” Natalie said.
Rodgers has reportedly taken the steps to file a lawsuit against the car dealership since the incident occurred, which the dealership denies the allegations of.
“This shouldn’t have happened. So it was reckless,” Rodgers said to Fox 11. “There was negligence. They are saying that they just misplaced a sheet of paper when they were moving files around.”
