The case involving a motorist who claims he was assaulted by state police troopers during a traffic stop in Centre County last year has now drawn national attention.
In a hearing on Tuesday, those troopers testified that they felt so bad for the motorist that they bought him a meal several hours after he was arrested.
What looks to be punches thrown in the video of the arrest is actually what state police termed “compliance strikes.”
State police testified Tuesday that they followed their training after initially attempting to pull Dereck Raimey over on Interstate 80 last December, for allegedly following a tractor-trailer too closely.
Police dash cam video was played in court, which didn’t show Raimey tailgating, but it did show what police say is the nearly ten-minute, high-speed chase that ensued when Raimey wouldn’t stop.
When he did stop, outside of Milesburg, police testified that they initially wanted Raimey to voluntarily exit his vehicle, but when a state police sergeant pulled in front of Raimey’s vehicle, a trooper testified they had to go to “Plan B,” because if there was gunfire, the state police could be caught in a crossfire.
“Plan B” reportedly involved physically removing Raimey from his vehicle. One trooper admitted to probably punching (compliance striking) Raimey 6 times, claiming he initially didn’t see that Raimey was restrained by a seat belt.
Raimey was taken to the hospital for a blood draw and police say he admits to using cocaine while driving.
When he was taken to prison, officials, seeing an apparently beaten Raimey, reportedly told police that they wouldn’t admit him without a further medical evaluation.
That is about the time when the same two troopers involved in the initial stop testified that they decided to buy Raimey a cheeseburger and a drink.
Tuesday’s hearing centered on a motion, filed by Raimey’s attorney, challenging whether police had enough probable cause to make the initial traffic stop.
When Raimey didn’t show up at the start of the hearing, his attorney said that he claimed he was stuck in traffic in Altoona. When an offer was made for state police to help expedite him getting to court, Raimey’s attorney simply replied, “no, no way, not interested.”
Following a separate bail hearing in the case, Dereck Raimey is back in the Centre County Prison.
