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New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore was stopped by Providence, Rhode Island police this week and given three traffic violations.
The 25-year-old was charged with operating an unregistered vehicle, improperly displaying a license plate, and driving with expired registration at a little before 1:00 a.m. Wednesday.
After the traffic stop, Christian Barmore took to X (Twitter) and wrote in a since-deleted post, “I just experienced for the first time 5 Providence cops being very unprofessional racism at it’s finest.”
Boston 25 News reports that police said that after officers activated their lights and signaled for Barmore to pull over, the vehicle began a “slow roll,” which they claim is often done to hide contraband or weapons before officers come to the vehicle’s window.
“This tactic is known to police by slowing down an intersection with police to hide any contraband or weapons,” the police report read. “It should also be noted that the area is known for high narcotic usage.”
Police claim Barmore was “belligerent” and had an “attitude” during the approximately 45-minute traffic stop, which at one point involved them informing him that the vehicle, which had tinted windows and a plate cover making it difficult to read the registration sticker, would have to be towed due to it having an expired registration. The vehicle’s expired registration turned out to belong to someone from Maine with a different name.
They also reported finding an ashtray with a “blunt” underneath Christian Barmore’s driver-side seat and “what appeared to be several tubes filled with marijuana.”
After being accused of racism, Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez issued a statement which read, “In this particular case, the vehicle in question was found to be unregistered during a routine traffic stop, which is a violation of the law. The officer acted in full compliance with department protocols and state regulations. We understand that any encounter with law enforcement can be stressful, however, it’s important to note that officers are required to enforce all applicable laws, including those related to vehicle registration. We will continue to review the situation to ensure that proper procedures were followed and to maintain transparency with the public.”
Providence Police also released video of the traffic stop to back up their claims and defend themselves against the racism accusations made by Barmore.
“I’m a football player bro. I’m not here for none of that,” Barmore can be heard telling officers in the video. “Don’t touch me, ya’ll crazy. I dare you to touch me. I’ll sue all you.”
“These officers did their job. They were within their rights to stop the vehicle,” said Michael Imondi, president of the Providence Fraternal Order of Police. “If the individual would have simply just complied, this would have just been a routine traffic stop and nothing more.”
On Facebook, the Providence Fraternal Order of Police wrote, “The situation would have and could have been nothing more than a routine traffic stop but not for the uncooperative and argumentative behavior of the driver towards the police officers, which ultimately escalated the atmosphere of the stop.
“For these reasons, the FOP hopes that this individual will publicly rescind his false accusations against our police officers and issue a similarly public apology.”