Minneapolis, MN
A state trooper stopped a Hudson man and arrested him for evading an officer. But the man says he was simply looking for a safe place to pull stop with his kids in the car.
Sam Salter was packed in his mini-van heading home to Hudson after at family New Year's Eve party in St. Paul.
Salter was headed eastbound at about 10:30 p.m. when a trooper put on her lights and sirens behind him. He was in the far left lane and immediately signaled to move to the right.
He says he got to the far right lane and there was nowhere to pull off because the shoulder was ice and snow and he wanted a safe place to pull over with his kids in the car, and it was dark.
He immediately got on the 61 exit and at the end of the exit takes an immediate right to a road. The trooper, Sgt. Carrie Rindal, thinks he is evading an officer and does a PIT maneuver on him (rams his van) to force him to stop.
He then and jumped out screaming, "What are you doing? I have kids in the car."
With her gun drawn and pointed at Salter, the trooper then pats him down with screaming kids in car and takes him to squad car to inform him he is under arrest and going to jail for the felony of evading an officer.
The kids stayed in van until mom arrives to pick them up.
Salter was taken to jail where he stays for almost two days. His kids ages two, three, six, all saw the altercation with the trooper and are traumatized.
Salter was not charged with the felony by Ramsey County because the county attorney said there was insufficient evidence that he was fleeing.
He was left with $1,500 damage to his van, a ticket for illegal lane change and a $140 towing fee.
Rindal is not on paid administrative leave and has been a trooper for 11 years.
YOUR TAKE: Was the trooper in the wrong?
14 comments:
Absolutely not! When a police officer signals you to pull over/stop, you do just that. How safe does the person need to feel if there is a police car right behind them once they are stopped?
Are you kidding me? I am so sick of stupid bully cops. These are the same police that will chase a basic traffic stop at high speeds endangering countless innocent bystanders and often bring harm. This "Officer" should at least be fired. Safety? She was the only lawbreaker and threat in the video that night. As long as you signal and decelerate you have the right to reasonably find a safe location to pull over. You don’t just jam on the brakes and stop where the scumbag officer turns on her lights! This makes my blood boil. Without a camera, all the police apologists would be saying how this “hero cop” kept the streets safe that night by arresting this fleeing man. We need better and smarter police and fewer bully animals like Rindal. RIndal and any cop who defends her, need to be gone. Don’t tell me how tough it is being a cop. I don’t care. Doing your job does not make you a hero. If that was me driving my child, I would probably be dead right now because I could not have restrained my anger at this animal for putting my child’s life in danger because she is living out some Cops episode. She ceased being a police officer the second she rammed that man’s van.
I am hopeful that Mr Salter will reconsider and sue Rindall for millions. Imagine the trauma his children endured. If that woman is still a trooper and she ever pulls me over I will drive away from a traffic stop with her and call 911.
Please write letters to your congressman demanding she be fired and charged for her crimes. Police always says they can shoot a person if they use their vehicle as a weapon. This is exactly what Rindal did... she was slamming into a minivan taht was barely moving. She should be ashamed of herself but I imagine someone so emotionall unstable doesnt even have a clue that what she did was wrong. Lets get this maniac off the streets as a cop. POLICE YOU SHOULD AL BE OUTRAGED at what Rindall did. SHE makes people fear police and teh fact that they can snaop and become thugs and criminals in such a small matter as a dad trying to pull over where his kids and himself will be safe .. WE DO NOT have to pull over anywhere you decide Rindall I hope yuou get hit by a semi you stupid cunt.
Rindall should be fired. She is out of control and unstable.
I say Sgt Rindall should be taken off the force and made an example of. I hope she has thought about what she did that night and is at least sorry for her outrageous actions. Those poor kids.
Just another maniac cop. She needs to be fired immediately and charged with vehicular assault at the very least.
the absolutely not comment is ridiculous. there are plenty of people out there pretending to be police officers who try to pull women over on country roads in order to rape them. secondly, I have children younger than the "victim" in this case and I would do exactly the same thing. Third, everyone who reads this should call the Minnesota State Police at 651-201-7100 to express thier outrage about Carrie Rindal's actions.
My Daughter seen this news report and is now asking me lots of questions and she is now afraid of police ... she is 11 by the way // Good Job Rindal ! I hope you are fired !
Bitch Rindal (I refuse to bestow this woman with the honorific "Officer") needs to be fired immediately; it's too bad she can't be caned. Salter should sue for all he can get.
I live in the Twin Cities. Drivers have a right to find a place that they feel is safe to pull over. Contrary to Bitch Rindal's claim, it is not the police who get to decide.
The best thing about this incident is that it's now all over the internet. People throughout the country are viewing the police video and deciding for themselves that Bitch Rindal was way out of line. I don't know how she can stand the shame!
Look at all the facts. The road was not safe for a pull over on the free way with kids in the car. He had to take the next exit and was going extremely slow through the process. I think the patrol officer was out of line and had other means of ending the traffic stop without hitting the car.
I saw the video on Fox news. The van was practically at a full stop on the shoulder when the officer hit him. No excuse for that. Road was indeed very snowy and a safe place to pull over was not evident. Cop was WAY out of line and should be fired or at least disciplined. I'm with Megyn Kelly on this one. She was furious and so am I!
When a COP breaks the law their leadership "circles the wagons" of protection and defends their outrageous behavior. They don't even realize that is the exact reason so many law abiding citizens horbor such contempt for them. They chose their profession and if they are unable to exhibit logical deductive reasoning abilities they need to hit the road. Carrie should be fired.
I think it's easy for us to weigh in with our strong opinions one way or the other on on deed committed by one person. But none of us would like to be judged on the worst (or any 20 of the worst) things we've ever done. If this is Rindal's first problem, give the poor woman a chance to learn from her mistake and become a better professional.
First of all, I had a similar experience on Hwy 61. An officer lit me up just as I was approaching a green light in about 500 feet. I didn't want to slow down there, as I know how people are anxious to get through the intersection and could have hit us. So, I slowed and turned right onto the intersected road and pulled over shortly thereafter. The officer absolutely REAMED me! He told me that I should have stopped immediately and it was his responsibility if we got hit. Ok, yes, his responsibility, but my injuries!!! I was respectful, of course, but I felt it was not called for to treat me so disrespectfully. I wonder how many people don't know that you are immediately supposed to pull over. To do something that would cause an accident goes against anyone's natural instinct. And especially when in such a stressful situation as flashing red lights meant for you, it is hard to reason in anything but natural instinct. I was trying to stay calm and not react wrongly by doing something so stupid as to put our lives in danger!
Secondly, if you get a chance to hear or read the transcript, after Sargent Rindal had a chance to talk to Salter in the car, he clearly was not a drunk or a criminal. Why was he put in jail for two days? I'm assuming if she deemed him such a criminal as to be arrested, she probably didn't even give him a chance to go and calm his 3 young childrens' fears of what they just witnessed. I think she did it because he argued with her. I was always taught to say "Yes officer, No officer." Clearly, it was good advice.
Thirdly, I've previously had contact with this officer in a social situation. She was a nice person, but also seemed to have a deep seated ax to grind. I won't elaborate, but I wonder if she has not reconciled it this many years later.
Post a Comment