Fargo PD Releases Dash Cam Video of Traffic Stop Turned Aggressive

Dash cam video shows police pulling over 26–year–old Abraham Nyei

FARGO, N.D.–Fargo Police has released video of an incident that turned aggressive Monday.

“I never expected something like this to come out of the Fargo Police Department,” said Abraham Nyei, the man arrested.

“I really think they responded appropriately to the situation,” said chief David Todd, Fargo Police.

Dash cam video shows police pulling over 26–year–old Abraham Nyei.

Officers  say he ran a red light nearby.

In the video, Nyei doesn’t stop for about 30 seconds.

When he does, he says he was trying to park when police confronted him.

“You see now he breaks the window, and I’m like ‘oh my god oh my god I can’t believe it I’m in shock. Oh my god’ and I’m attempting to put it in park,” added Nyei.

Nyei says he wasn’t trying to resist, he was just trying to comply.

“And you see me yelling and I’m putting my hands behind my back I’m doing everything that you guys said,” added Nyei. “At the moment I’m on the ground and imp telling them all my information. I’m telling them that ‘I live here I live here’ and I’m repeating it to them so they know I live here, this is my residence.”

The video also shows the moment before Nyei went face first into a light pole.

“And so then I started to scream for neighbors to get the neighbors attention because I felt the cops were doing me harm that night,” added Nyei.

Fargo’s Police Chief says he believes officers were just doing their jobs.

“They followed our protocol,” added Chief Todd. “They identified themselves as police officers verbally.”

But Nyei thinks the situation should have been handled differently.

“When they told me that I wasn’t being arrested and that I was being detained, that is a term that I am very unfamiliar with, detained. If a cop pulls me over they will tell me that we are pulling you over for a violation stay in your vehicle give us your license and registration. This is a traffic stop, license and registration please? None of that,” claimed Nyei.

Nyei is familiar with traffic stops.

He’s been cited five times in the last two years for speeding.

And he says he was surprised by his experience.

“This is Fargo, North Dakota; I’ve been living here for three years. I fell in love with the city of Fargo. I felt like a proud citizen, so when it happened I was just in shock and disbelief that something like that would actually happen” added Nyei.

Fargo PD says they want to be straightforward with the community when their actions come into question.

“I authorized the release of the dash cam video so that the public could see what actually happened,” added Chief Todd. “Now in cases like this is always have to balance transparency versus protecting the case and I decided it was better for the community if we went on the transparency side and showed everybody what actually happened.”

You can watch the full traffic stop video here.