Video shows chaos after traffic stop

LAKE WALES - Lake Wales police have released several controversial videos showing a confrontation between officers and an angry crowd that gathered after a routine traffic stop over the weekend.

An officer was hit in the face, a man was stunned several times, and the crowd grew to about 100 people.

The video shows snippets of a traffic stop gone awry. Three of the videos are from cameras mounted on the dashboards of officers who responded, another video was actually taken by a camera mounted on a taser itself.

Problems began when an officer pulled a car over Saturday afternoon because the windows were tinted too dark. When officers tried to arrest the driver, a passerby got involved, ended up hitting an officer in the face, and was zapped with a stun gun.

The Chief of the Lake Wales Police Department Herb Gillis says the videos back up the actions of his officers.

"I think they were responding to the level of aggression that they were experiencing," Gillis said.

The local NAACP has a different take. A spokesman says the organization still has a lot of questions about how the incident was handled.

"It has decreased confidence in the police department and the way they carry out their procedures and whether their procedures are carried out fairly to everyone," said Pastor James Clear.

Members of the surrounding community plan to hold a meeting to discuss the incident and others this Sunday. They will be getting together at 5 p.m. at the Community Center, 230 B Street, Lake Wales.