"You were pushing 90mph:" Woman pulls over police officer, accuses him of speeding
MIAMI -- A driver turned the tables on a Miami-Dade police officer -- pulling him over near downtown Miami and accusing him of speeding.
Claudia Castillo told WSVN she was running an errand on Friday, January 29th when she saw a squad car speed by her.
"He passed me with so much speed, so much force, my car shook. It scared the daylights out of me. I mean, he woke me up," Castillo said.
Castillo said she had her cell phone hooked up near her rearview mirror and began recording the officer as he sped without his emergency lights on.
"I just thought, 'Holy Jesus, how fast is this man going?!'" Castillo said.
Castillo said she increased her own speed in an effort to try to gauge how fast the officer was going.
The officer eventually pulled over because he thought Castillo had an emergency. She started to question him.
"The reason I pulled you over today, and I'm asking you to come over and have a conversation, is because I saw you since Miller Drive when you were first jumping onto the Palmetto, and you were pushing 90 miles-an-hour," Castillo is heard saying in the cell phone video.
"Really? OK," replied the officer.
Castillo later posted the video clips to YouTube.
"I pushed 80 to try and catch up to you, and I was still eating your dust. You were leaving me behind, and I was going 80 miles-an-hour, and I just wanted to know, what's the emergency?" Castillo said.
The officer is heard denying he was exceeding the speed limit.
"I don't know how fast I was going, but I can tell you this: I'm on my way to work right now. I don't believe I was speeding, but, like I said, you're entitled to your opinion," the officer said. "I apologize, and I'll be sure to slow down, ma'am."
Castillo's YouTube clips quickly went viral with more than 500,000 hits.
She said she wouldn't take back what she did, and would do it again.
"I think it was the right thing to do. If it were to happen again, I would do it again," Castillo said.
Officials with the Miami-Dade Police Department released a statement to WSVN:
"We take all complaints seriously. In this case, the officer's chain of command will investigate the matter and take the appropriate course of action. We also take this opportunity to remind the public that we have a complaint process in place. We prefer that no one places themselves or the community at risk in an attempt to capture alleged misconduct."
Officials said Castillo won't be reprimanded for her actions.