Fondling in plain sight: Austin police under fire over viral video of “routine” traffic stop

A routine traffic stop has resulted in widespread outrage after an Austin, Texas police officer performed a search of a young woman while a crowd of onlookers filmed the incident.

(Article by Tyler Durden republished from ZeroHedge.com)

Video which appeared online Tuesday resulted in a storm of controversy. While police say the officer acted “appropriately,” the woman has accused the officer of sexual assault, given that while he patted her down looking for drugs or weapons he appeared to grope her breasts.

https://twitter.com/mo0nlitruby/status/1280127918451101699

Police said the woman was taken into custody due to “multiple hazardous traffic violations”. A report in Yahoo News/Insider.com describes of the viral video of the incident:

In the video, which circulated Tuesday, the woman, identified by police as Rosalinda Nuno Trevino, demands a female officer while the officer continues to search the woman in front of a parked police vehicle.

In a statement published on July 7, the Austin Police Department defended the officer’s conduct. It said the officer, who has not been publicly identified, told Trevino that a female officer wasn’t available.

The woman is heard yelling for a female officer to do the pat down, but Austin police said in a later statement that no female officers were present at the time.

Austin PD said further that protocol was followed, given the presence of an additional officer assisting the arrest and that the pat down was done clearly in front of police cameras and without attempt to conceal the invasive procedure.

“He conducted the search in front of a police vehicle where a vehicle camera could document and at least one other officer was present, as required by APD policy,” the Austin PD statement reads.