FLORIDA — A Florida deputy stopped a woman for allegedly using a cellphone while driving, believing he saw her holding and manipulating the device with her right hand. During the traffic stop, the driver showed the deputy she did not have a right hand.
The incident, captured on bodycam video, went viral and drew online laughter. After the driver revealed her missing limb, the deputy continued questioning her and defended his original observation.
The Shots Fired podcast recently analyzed the stop as a case study in perception, discretion, and public trust. Hosts Mark Redlich and Kyle Schoberg noted that officers often make real-time observations that later appear incorrect when reviewed on video. Redlich suggested the deputy may have seen the driver holding a phone against the side of her face using her arm, creating the appearance she was grasping it with a hand.
"I think he saw what he saw," Schoberg said. "It’s called discretion. Not everything is black and white."