A white Florida sheriff’s deputy has resigned after he pulled a gun on a pregnant Black woman during a traffic stop as her three distressed children watched on and recorded the tense interaction.
via: Revolt
The incident, which took place on Aug. 12 just shy of midnight, occured when Bradford County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Desue attempted to pull Ebony Washington over. Per reports, the traffic stop occured after the officer clocked the Jacksonville resident going 75 mph in a 55-mph zone. The sheriff’s office also disclosed that although Desue prompted her to pull over, Washington didn’t immediately stop the vehicle out of fear of being “in the middle of nowhere” while pregnant with three children in the car.
Thanks to footage captured by Desue’s body camera, the officer’s actions were caught on tape. “If you make any movement, that’ll be your last mistake you’re going to make,” he yelled toward Washington’s car. From there, he could be seen exiting his patrol car with a gun pointed in the young woman’s direction as he screamed for her to get out of the vehicle.
Per the video, Washington’s arms dangled outside of the car as she explained that the door was locked. “Unlock it. I’m not worried. I’ve got my gun on you” was Desue’s response. After she exited the vehicle with her arms raised, Desue approached her, and ultimately pointed his gun to her back. When she attempted to detail why she didn’t stop immediately, the officer cut her off. “Your excuse means nothing to me right now,” he said. “I don’t want to hear it.”
Washington’s attorney revealed that Desue resigned from the police force on Aug. 16 and had been employed by the sheriff’s office since March 2020. According to a file obtained by her legal team, the officer was given one last chance to work with the department following a separate incident on April 13.
