A South Carolina woman claiming to be a victim of racism and harassment by a police officer was sorely mistaken, unedited bodycam from the traffic stop shows.
Dawn Hilton-Williams released a tearful video on Facebook that shows her tell telling her side of the April 27 traffic stop story that took place in Brunswick County, Virginia while on her way back home.
In the video, that has since gone viral, Hilton-Williams accuses the cop of bullying, racism and aggressive behavior.
The woman said in her video: ‘I just was threatened by this police officer… all of my African-American and people of color out there are going to know exactly what I’m talking about.’
Hilton-Williams went on to claim the experience was ‘traumatic’ and left her fearing for her safety and life.
The Brunswick County Sheriffs Department began receiving angry phone calls and backlash over the claims, so the department released the full bodycam footage.
The footage shows the officer pulling over to the side of the road to get out of his car to inform Hilton-Williams she had been speeding.
The officer begins the traffic stop by saying ‘good afternoon’ and introducing himself before asking for the woman’s driver’s license and vehicle registration.
The officer said: ‘The reason I am stopping you is because I caught you going 70 and the speed limit here is 55.’
Hilton-Williams is then heard arguing with the cop before she tells him she hadn’t seen a speed limit sign anywhere in sight.
The two are then heard talking casually about the ticket before the officer returns to his vehicle.
When he walks back to Hilton-Williams’ car, he informs her she has been ticketed and proceeds to explain the legal guidelines.
Shocked, Hilton-Williams says, ‘this is a traffic summons?’ before the officer replies, ‘yes,’ and informs her that her court date is set for June 6.
This is the moment a South Carolina woman was stopped for speeding on April 27 in Brunswick County, Virginia
Dawn Hilton-Williams claimed she was bullied and harassed by a racist officer during the stop
Here the woman is seen tearing up after the stop, which she said left her fearing for her safety
She then proceeds to ask the cop where the speed limit signs are, and he replies, ‘numerous places’.
The woman then tells the cop she will not be paying the ticket, before he asks her to sign the ticket.
Hilton-Williams says: ‘I’m not going to sign that ticket,’ while adding, ‘but I appreciate it.’
The officer replies: ‘Ma’am… what you are signing here is a promise to either come to court or a promise to pre-pay. It is not an admission of guilt… It’s only a promise to me that you are going to get it taken care of.
‘If you refuse to sign the summons at this point, I’m going to have to get you out of this car and place you under arrest,’ he says, before warning her she could have her vehicle towed.
He adds: ‘Yes, ma’am, you do not have a choice but to sign this summons.’
Hilton-Williams initially refused to sign the ticket, when the officer told her she didn’t have a choice
Hilton-Williams said in her video: ‘I did a lot of protesting, a lot of fighting in my day, so things like this wouldn’t happen’
Hilton-Williams then signs the ticket after listening to the orders of her cousin on the phone. When she signs, the officer tells her thank you.
‘I knew you were going to sign it,’ the cop said. ‘Thank you very much. I appreciate it very much. You have a very safe day.’
In her Facebook video, Hilton-Williams said: ‘I did a lot of protesting, a lot of fighting in my day, so things like this wouldn’t happen,’ while speaking of her alleged traumatic experience.
‘I was immediately afraid… and he looked like he was ready to pull me out of the car.’
She went on to show where the traffic stop happened, adding, ‘this is where we got lynched. This is where we got lynched, even in today’s day.
‘I wish society was different, I wish it wasn’t normalized. I wish that everybody’s traffic stop was the same so that people would just feel normal.’
Hilton-Williams said she plans to file a complaint against the cop, but the department confirmed the officer did not act out of order, according to WTVR.
Sheriff Brian Roberts, of the Brunswick County Sheriffs Department, said he received many hateful phone calls