Posted on 03/05/2025 3:01:23 PM PST by simpson96
SURPRISE, Ariz. — A viral video has surfaced showing a woman being forcibly thrown to the ground by a Surprise police officer after she was seen waving a Trump flag in traffic near an anti-Trump protest. The incident, which occurred on Monday afternoon near Bell Road and Civic Center Plaza, has sparked controversy, with the woman involved speaking out about what she describes as excessive use of force.
The woman, Camellia Gocan, explained that she was driving around the Surprise area when she saw a group of anti-Trump protesters at the intersection. In response, she decided to wave a pro-Trump flag from her red convertible as she drove past them in both directions.
Moments later, Gocan was stopped by Surprise police on westbound Bell Road in the right-most lane. The video posted to TikTok shows Gocan getting out of her car as the police officer stood near his driver's side door.
"I just wanted to understand why I was being stopped," Gocan said. "I hadn’t committed any traffic violations."
Surprise Police Department officials said the officer had "probable cause" to believe that Gocan was obstructing traffic. Gocan pushed back on this and said she did nothing wrong to prompt the officer to initiate a traffic stop.
She said that she was expressing her First Amendment rights similarly to the anti-Trump protestors on the sidewalks.
"We have the constitutional right to express our point of view, what we believe, and what we stand for—not just for Democrats, but for Republicans as well," she said.
Gocan is particularly critical of the amount of force used by the officer. As she walked to the spot where the altercation took place, she showed visible signs of injury, including a cut on her right arm and bruises along her left arm, all of which she claims were the result of being thrown to the ground by the officer.
"There were so many options for him to manage this without escalating it to that point," she said.
Valley civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor says that how Gocan handled the situation may have contributed to the escalation. Taylor emphasized that during a traffic stop, individuals should remain in their vehicle unless instructed otherwise.
“If you do get out, you're assuming the risk, and the officer might think you're a threat,” Taylor explained.
He added that someone's First Amendment rights do not give them the ability to not follow the law, including traffic laws.
"She has a legal right to wave her flag," Taylor said. "However, if she's interfering with an investigation and she's doing anything illegal and she's not obeying police commands, then that's when it goes past your First Amendment right to doing something illegal.
In the wake of the incident, Gocan is calling on the Surprise Police Department to release the body camera footage, which she believes will demonstrate that she did not pose a threat to the officer.
Stick, weapon or a flag? Which was it? And what was the threat of this chubby, middle aged woman with a flag to the officer that pulled her over for no reason other than the one he chose to enforce without justification?
don’t forget your registration. going into the glove box can get you dead.
“Easy to explain, AZ police are unfortunately not the best in the US.”
Probably not. Which ones are the best?
My first observation was how small the cop was. Their head barely made it to the bottom of the driver door window opening.
That’s tiny! Wow!
PoPo get jittery Really Quickly...
I have first hand experience.
.
Charging Up on them May
Escalate matters.
.
> She got out of her vehicle after being pulled over and started waiving a stick/weapon. <
I suppose it depends on what “waiving” means here.
There is a video on YouTube of a guy picking up trash on his apartment’s front yard. He’s holding one of those sticks with a nail at the end. The cops show up because someone said he looked “suspicious”.
The cops arrested the guy because he wouldn’t drop his “weapon” - the trash stick. The poor guy was just holding it.
Just another example of how some cops earn the hate.
PoPo get jittery Really Quickly...
I have first hand experience.
.
Charging Up on them May
Escalate matters.
Yep...even when you’re in the right, showing how “scrappy” you are isn’t usually in an apprehendee’s best interests (i.e., Chris Rock’s “How not to get your @** kicked by the police”)
Yeah; that's the ticket....cash in via Taxpayers, as usual...
Is she an Illegal, on top of all that?
The cop, who appears to be a female built like tiny fat fire hydrant, has some explaining to do. I can’t imagine what they would say.
If the female driver victim wasn’t violent, wanted, or didn’t violate a serious law, that city is going to pay up big.
Not only was it excessive force, but force was not needed. Based on the video alone, this cop has no business being a cop.
+1
Is she illegal? I’ve had to deal with a few illegals, and I can assure you they don’t ride around in shiny new red convertibles flying Trump flags.
I gut feeling is this cop, who appears to be a short overweight female, does not like Trump or his supporters.
Cops always like it when you make them chase you for four or five miles down the road at a high rate of speed, one ten or 120 MPH is best and earns you the most respect.
Cops also love guns and are always eager to see what gun you carry. The faster you can jump out of your vehicle and show it to them the better.
If the liberal state government empowers such actions along with the voters putting them in then yes, stick it to the state taxpayers.
In time Amigo...
License is right at hand otherwise
I’ll sit and Wait with My hands
On Top of my Steering Wheel.
.
When PoPo approaches I will do Everything to Make them Feel Comfortable and Safe.
.
I’ve Done this And It Works.
Maybe the city needs to be sued to stop them from hiring violent individuals who seem to have zero common sense and never heard of officer discretion.
“I’ll back the blue when respect is earned.
In the meantime leave me alone and I will defend myself and my family.”
Ditto that.
My concealed carry will only be drawn to defend my family - LEO will only receive a courtesy call to 911 to let dispatch know an officer is being assaulted.
The LEO community in my city have earned no more and no less, when they allowed AntiFa and BLM to riot, commit arson, vandalize private property, assaulted anyone who refused to chant along with the BLM slogans, blocked traffic, harassed pedestrians...
“I was just following orders” DOES NOT SUFFICE.
So, screw you, Eugene, OR PD.
I’ll hold any opinion until the body cam footage is released. Traffic stops can be challenging for officers. Maybe the police were called on her by the protestors and the officer was just investigating.
Was she being confrontational? Did she disobey the officer’s command, i.e., “Stay in your car” or “Put the flag down?” BTW, why was she waving the flag during the traffic stop?
Sarcastic disclosure Required!
.
FReepers are Sharp But there’s Always
That ONE .
That’s why I said earlier, based on the video alone, if there were no other circumstances like violence, pursuit, threats, etc, the cop who appears to be an obese female, has no business being a cop.
She’s hispanic
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