Miami Cop Investigated For Telling Black Driver 'This Is How You Guys Get Killed Out Here'
An internal police investigation of a Miami-Dade cop is underway after a video surfaced of him telling a Black motorist “this is how you guys get killed out here, man,” NBC Miami reports.
The officer stopped Gerardson Nicolas on June 15 in North Miami Beach apparently for not wearing a seatbelt. Nicolas admitted to the violation and explained that he was on his way to work, according to NBC Miami.
"Give me your driver’s license, registration and insurance. If not, you will not be going to work today. Simple thing man. This is how you guys get killed out here, man," the motorcycle officer who was not identified tells him.
Nicolas responds, "What? Say that again? Say what you just said."
"Registration and insurance," the officer responds.
A video clip of the interaction is below.
Nicolas told NBC Miami that he recorded the video because he feared for his life.
"I was scared, I was scared. I didn’t think my life was going to make it,” he stated. “When he asked me for my license, open the door, I started recording. I was looking for my stuff, my license because I didn’t see my wallet. I was looking for my wallet and that wasn’t my car, that was my mom’s car and I didn’t know where the registration was, I was looking, looking. He got mad."
Miami-Dade Police Interim Director George A. Perez said the department is reviewing 30 minutes of body camera footage and other evidence. In the meantime, the officer is on desk duty.
The Miami Herald reports that the officer did not arrest Nicolas. Instead, he was ticketed for not wearing a seat belt, not having a proper license tag and insurance, and driving with a suspended license.
Nicolas filed an official complaint with the department on Monday (June 20) and spoke with detectives about the incident.
