By Lauren Campbell
masslive.com
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Providence police released the body cam footage of Wednesday morning traffic stop that involved New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore.
Barmore asked why he’s being pulled over before he told the officers, “Don’t touch me. Y’all crazy. I dare you to touch me. I’ll sue all you.”
Barmore was on the phone with a woman, believed by police to be his mother, who told the officer that Barmore is on blood thinners and they “need to be extremely careful with him.” He is instructed to step out of the vehicle and the woman on the phone tells Barmore to roll his windows up.
The responding officer opens Barmore’s door, and he starts to swear and yell at the police around the vehicle, saying, “I ain’t do (expletive) to y’all.” Barmore exits the vehicle while still yelling at the officers.
At 1:22 a.m., Barmore posted to his X account that he, “just experienced for the first time 5 Providence cops being very unprofessional racism at its finest.” The post has since been deleted.
Colonel Oscar Perez issued a statement after the body cam footage was released:
The Providence Police Department takes all concerns from the public very seriously and with the utmost professionalism. In this particular case, the vehicle in question was found to be unregistered during a routine traffic stop, which is a violation of the law. The officer acted in full compliance with department protocols and state regulations. We understand that any encounter with law enforcement can be stressful, however, it’s important to note that officers are required to enforce all applicable laws, including those related to vehicle registration. We will continue to review the situation to ensure that proper procedures were followed and to maintain transparency with the public.
Barmore was pulled over at 12:53 a.m. on Wednesday and cited for three traffic violations: Operation of an unregistered vehicle, display of plates penalties and driving with an expired registration. MassLive obtained the police report from Providence police, which stated the “vehicle had window tint all around and had a plate cover on the temporary registration causing issues on reading the information.” It also stated that Barmore had an “attitude” with the responding officers.
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Police noted that Barmore was driving in a neighborhood “known for high narcotic usage.” After searching his vehicle, police say they “found an ash cup along with what appeared to be a blunt rolled with an unknown substance where he was seen reaching under the seat. Under the passenger side seat, we found what appeared to be several tubes filled with marijuana.”
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo was asked about the incident during his press conference on Wednesday and said he and Barmore had a conversation and he wanted to focus on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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