GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Video of a traffic stop in Grand Rapids is garnering attention online.
The man at the crux of the stop doesn't want to be identified, and neither does his girlfriend, who was recording. The man was ultimately taken into custody without incident.
But the people recording the video want the public to see what happened to them.
Grand Rapids police say it all started with an attempted traffic stop on the city's west side for driving without a plate. Police say the driver of the car backed up, fast, towards a cruiser when they attempted to make a traffic stop.
That's when police say they called for backup.
The man driving the car says he had proof of plates in his car from the Secretary of State.
The video starts when the man gets back to his house, a short way away from where police say they attempted to stop him. The video is recorded on the couple's front porch.
GRPD is seen in the video asking the man to get on the ground and stating he is under arrest. He asks why, and doesn't appear to audibly get an answer in the video.
The woman recording the video tells officers she is pregnant. She's confused about why guns are being pointed at her and is audibly terrified.
They want people to know why they're scared of law enforcement. They say it's because of incidents like this.
FOX 17 has requested through the Freedom of Information Act all body and dash camera videos of the incident, as well as the arrest report.
Towards the end of the video, Grand Rapids' new Police Chief Eric Winstrom is spotted. He arrived as part of the backup officers on the scene. GRPD says he has been spending time with officers on patrol to get to know the department and the community.
According to the city, Winstrom is not seen in a patrol uniform because he is not a certified member of law enforcement in Michigan. He was sworn in to an administrative role until his certification is complete, which the city says should happen within the coming weeks.
Winstrom is originally from the Chicago Police Department.
GRPD released this statement on its Facebook page in response to the incident:
