Camelia Gocan has cuts and bruises to show for getting out of her car during a traffic stop and getting thrown to the ground.
SURPRISE, Ariz. — A viral video has surfaced showing a woman being forcibly thrown to the ground by a Surprise police officer after she was seen waving a Trump flag in traffic near an anti-Trump protest. The incident, which occurred on Monday afternoon near Bell Road and Civic Center Plaza, has sparked controversy, with the woman involved speaking out about what she describes as excessive use of force.
The woman, Camellia Gocan, explained that she was driving around the Surprise area when she saw a group of anti-Trump protesters at the intersection. In response, she decided to wave a pro-Trump flag from her red convertible as she drove past them in both directions.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Se la vio ondeando una bandera de Trump en medio del tráfico en Surprise y la policía terminó arrojándola al suelo
Moments later, Gocan was stopped by Surprise police on westbound Bell Road in the right-most lane. The video posted to TikTok shows Gocan getting out of her car as the police officer stood near his driver’s side door.
“I just wanted to understand why I was being stopped,” Gocan said. “I hadn’t committed any traffic violations.”
Surprise Police Department officials said the officer had “probable cause” to believe that Gocan was obstructing traffic. Gocan pushed back on this and said she did nothing wrong to prompt the officer to initiate a traffic stop.
She said that she was expressing her First Amendment rights similarly to the anti-Trump protestors on the sidewalks.
“We have the constitutional right to express our point of view, what we believe, and what we stand for—not just for Democrats, but for Republicans as well,” she said.
Gocan is particularly critical of the amount of force used by the officer. As she walked to the spot where the altercation took place, she showed visible signs of injury, including a cut on her right arm and bruises along her left arm, all of which she claims were the result of being thrown to the ground by the officer.
“There were so many options for him to manage this without escalating it to that point,” she said.
Valley civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor says that how Gocan handled the situation may have contributed to the escalation. Taylor emphasized that during a traffic stop, individuals should remain in their vehicle unless instructed otherwise.
“If you do get out, you’re assuming the risk, and the officer might think you’re a threat,” Taylor explained.
He added that someone’s First Amendment rights do not give them the ability to not follow the law, including traffic laws.
“She has a legal right to wave her flag,” Taylor said. “However, if she’s interfering with an investigation and she’s doing anything illegal and she’s not obeying police commands, then that’s when it goes past your First Amendment right to doing something illegal.
In the wake of the incident, Gocan is calling on the Surprise Police Department to release the body camera footage, which she believes will demonstrate that she did not pose a threat to the officer.
When 12News reached out to Surprise police for further comment, they declined an interview. A department spokesperson stated that it would be inappropriate to discuss the incident further due to pending charges or citations against Cogan, which are still before the court.