A woman named Joneshia Wilkerson, 23, uploaded a video to her Instagram page, which showed a Tampa police officer pointing a gun at her after pulling her over.
Wilkerson wrote in the post, "So for the ones that didn’t know i was pulled over today at gunpoint riding in a girls car when I knew I should drove my own or road in a friends car but lemme get to the REAL DEAL ... I was driving to my house and this TPD police officer pulled me over in a @hcsosheriff property And pulled his gun out on myself and my home girl at gun point today I really wish y’all seen the full video."
Wilkerson added that she was in fear for her life as the officer continued to point his gun in her direction while waiting for back-up. She also stated that the officer told her that the car was stolen, but "when the Sgt ran the tag they didn’t see any information on the screen." Wilkerson explained that she was on leave from the Army when she borrowed a car from an acquaintance to cash a check to pay bills, and she was pulled over by the officer in the process.
Tampa PD released the bodycam footage from the officer, which shows him telling Wilkerson and her passenger that he ran the tags to the car and it came back stolen. Given that auto theft is a felony crime, the officer told Wilkerson that that is the reason he had his gun drawn.
Tampa Police public information officer Eddy Durking also addressed the situation, stating that Wilkerson and her passenger were released from custody and the car was impounded. He also addressed online claims, stating that "at no time was the driver ever smashed into the car nor was a gun pointed to the driver's head, regardless of the false narrative presented on social media."
