Man involved in controversial New York traffic stop speaks out

ROCHESTER, NY (WHAM) — Activist group Save Rochester met with media Thursday to talk about controversial body-worn camera video from a May 7 traffic stop, saying it was the latest example of what the group calls racist misconduct by police.

The man behind the wheel of that traffic stop, 22-year-old Marvin Taylor, shared his perspective, saying that as a citizen, he expects law enforcement to keep him safe.

I was afraid for my life. “I felt like if I rolled down the window my life was in danger,” Taylor said. “These police officers broke my window, dragged me out of the car, put their hands on me, pulled my hands behind my back, pushed me to the ground, kneed me on side and placed his knee on my neck.

Rochester police say they stopped Taylor for an expired inspection sticker.

“It just threw me off, because when he first got out of the car, he walked forward with his gun in his hand, and I know that’s not procedure,” said Taylor. “He didn’t ask me any questions. He didn’t tell me what I did wrong.”

Police body-worn camera footage released Tuesday showed officers asking Taylor to roll down his tinted window several times before breaking it and forcing him out.

At the press conference, a reporter asked Taylor, “They asked you to roll down your window, can you explain why you didn’t want to?”

Taylor’s response was, “I rolled down my window, I was trying to cooperate with the officer and they used excessive force.” »

Rochester Police Chief David Smith is conducting an internal investigation.

The Rochester Police Locust Club said it supports the chief’s statement, which reads: “Situations, such as these, in which a motorist refuses reasonable direction to roll down the windows creates a dangerous situation for all people involved The cooperation of the motorist would have easily prevented this incident from getting worse.

“I had some injuries, a sprained shoulder, my jaw was swollen, I had bruises on my arms and chest,” Taylor said.

By speaking out, Taylor hopes that traffic enforcement officers will be held accountable in some way.

Taylor was ticketed for obstructing governmental administration, failure to use a turn signal and an expired inspection sticker. He is scheduled to appear in Rochester Municipal Court on Tuesday.