A man and woman have been arrested after a simple traffic stop broke out into a fight between the officers and the suspects, with injuries sustained on both sides.
About 5:30 pm on Saturday afternoon, Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers pulled over a white Pontiac sedan with an unnamed male, female, and two children in car seats inside. The Public Information Officer at the scene said he believed the violation was an expired tag. The vehicle pulled into the parking lot of O’Reilly Auto Parts at the corner of Bryan and Main.
During the course of the traffic stop, the officers found that the driver didn’t have insurance on their car, and as a courtesy, was going to wait with the driver while they signed up for auto insurance during the traffic stop, presumably in order to avoid paying a fine.
According to troopers at the scene, at some point during the incident, the woman in the passenger’s seat was going to be taken under arrest, though the reasoning for that is unclear. When the man became aware of the turn of events, he stepped in to try to prevent the arrest and assaulted the officers.
Witnesses say that a fight broke out initially between the man and at least two highway patrol officers, all of whom sustained injuries during the altercation. Bystanders reportedly jumped in to assist the officers in getting the man restrained. The woman, meanwhile, climbed into the car and began to lock all the doors. She was heard shouting, “you’re not going to take my babies!”
By this time, more police had arrived on the scene and attempted to convince the woman to open the door. When she would not comply, they broke a window and removed her from the vehicle, placing her under arrest, while she continued to shout at the officers and at the male, who was waiting nearby in handcuffs.
Both suspects were transported to jail, where they are awaiting charges. The children were placed under the care of a family member.
