Who was in the wrong here?

Recently Inside Edition featured a video report about a family in New Mexico that was speeding to a veterinarian’s office in an attempt to save their dog that had been hit by a car. A police officer pulled them over, holding the father and teenage son at gunpoint, handcuffing them, before ultimately letting them go upon learning the situation. People have been shocked and angered by the traffic stop.

This is a somewhat similar situation.

As dog owners, we understand the desire to rush to save your furry one’s life after an accident. We would do the same, but we also get that if you’re speeding a police officer is completely within his legal right and is fulfilling his duty for pulling you over. And during a traffic stop, like it or not, the officer is in control of how things happen.

We’ve seen videos of people rushing a human family member to the hospital, believing they don’t have to stop for police in that situation. The best thing to do is get to the hospital quickly without causing an accident, and if a police officer tries pulling you over then you immediately explain the gravity of the situation. But you do so without acting angrily toward the officer.

The thing everyone has to understand is traffic stops are one of the more stressful and dangerous things cops do. They hear every excuse in the book and get a lot of anger hurled at them. They’re also on edge because they don’t know who they pulled over, what kinds of weapons you might have in the car, etc. So many cops have been shot as they’re walking up to a vehicle and the driver says something weird to throw them off, so do keep that in mind if you find yourself in this kind of situation.

Sadly, even though this family was able to get on their way the dog died. We don’t know if the traffic stop made a difference or not, but we do know staying calm, as hard as it might be, when a cop pulls you over in an emergency situation is key to helping him understand what’s going on faster.

But did the cop act unreasonably during the stop? Watch the video and let us know what you think.