FORT MYERS, Fla. — One video has gone viral on social media. Keenan Carter posted the video, telling Fox 4, he and two family members drove through Fort Myers Friday night on the way to his sister's house.
They turned onto Verona St., that's when he noticed a light shining into the car, from a vehicle behind them.
“The only light that they flashed was a flashlight to look inside of the car when we was passing them. When we pulled up to the residence there was no lights no one seen any red and blue lights one seen any of that” said Keenan Carter.
Carter says that's why they got out of the car like normal, and one of his cousins walked into his sister's home. According to Carter, the officer entered the home, with a taser.
They tell us they had no idea what was going on. Meanwhile, family members also shared a video, it allegedly shows carter on the ground.
“I was told to get on the ground, got on the ground. I was told while on the ground, get on the ground, which is on videotape, and I ask the officer, I'm in a fetal position. How do you want me on the ground sir?” said Carter.
Carter says he was detained for hours, outside of his sister's home, later receiving a ticket.
“Allegedly, I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt but we never got pulled over,” said Carter,
We reached out to the Fort Myers Police Department. They describe a different scenario, sharing Body Cam of part of the incident.
It shows the officer driving behind the car. You can see the officer approaching the home and lights turning on as he gets closer, jumping out the vehicle, towards the house.
FMPD says the traffic stop started when the emergency lights on the officer's vehicle were activated, which was when the car pulled into the driveway, saying in part, “To be clear during a traffic stop, by pulling into a residential address this does not void the lawful requirements to comply with the lawful stop," said FMPD.
The department says someone left the scene, and they weren't able to locate them.
FMPD also says that the officer gave “loud, verbal commands” before entering the home escorting the man out. The department says this falls under "fresh pursuit”, which they say allows them to chase after someone who has violated a local ordinance or committed a misdemeanor.
They tell us that man was arrested. FMPD says they located a firearm, which carter says he's licensed to carry, in the state of Georgia, where he lives.
The department says it wasn't able to verify that information at the time, but will allow carter to retrieve the gun on Monday once they do.
The department says carter was non-compliant with orders to stay in the car and did confirm that he received a citation for not wearing a seatbelt.
Carter says FMPD’s account of what happened is not true, but he's thankful to be alive, saying all he could think about was his daughter.
“The only thing going through my head was I didn’t want to be a hashtag,” said Carter.
