Florida Cop Arrested for Nearly Doubling Speed Limit in Cruiser, Fleeing Traffic Stop
The officer was relieved of duty as a result of the incident, where he explained to a deputy that he was “going into work, my man.”
A police officer in Orlando, Florida, has been arrested and relieved of duty after refusing to provide his driver's license and fleeing a traffic stop in his marked cruiser last week.
On June 6, a Seminole County Sheriff's deputy noticed a marked City of Orlando Police Department SUV cruiser traveling at 80 mph in a 45 mph zone. The officer, who was facing the opposite direction when the SUV was clocked, quickly flipped around and began chasing the cruiser in excess of 100 mph. Eventually, the officer flipped on his emergency lights—which weren't active when the pursuit began—and stopped, exited his vehicle, then was confronted by the deputy regarding his speed.
“What are you doing?” asked Officer Alexander Shaouni after finally coming to a stop. “I am going into work, my man. Why are you trying to pull me over as I’m going into work?”
The deputy explains to the officer that he was doing nearly double the speed limit. Shaouni blows off the deputy's comment and instead points out his uniform, again noting that he was headed to work when he was pulled over.
“I am going to work,” said Shaouni, bringing attention to his vest marked with his name and badge. “What does it look like I’m dressed for?"
Shaouni is then asked for his driver's license. He refuses to hand over his license to the deputy, saying "no" when asked. He then gets back into his police vehicle and leaves the scene only to later be identified by his car and badge number. Bodycam footage of the incident also clearly shows the officer's name on the front of his police vest.
Ultimately, Shaouni was arrested for the incident and charged with reckless driving, fleeing and eluding law enforcement, as well as resisting an officer without violence. He was "relieved" of his position pending the results of both the criminal investigation conducted by the Sheriff's Department, as well as an Internal Affairs investigation.
"The Orlando Police Department was notified by the Seminole County Sheriff's Office on Friday, June 9 that OPD Officer Alexander Shaouni was involved in an incident that occurred in Seminole County that resulted in criminal charges," wrote the OPD in a statement to local news outlet WESH. "Officer Shaouni has been relieved of duty pending the Seminole County Sheriff's criminal investigation and OPD's Internal Affairs investigation."
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