Just weeks after NFL star Tyreek Hill was thrown to the ground by police after a traffic stop for speeding on the way to the stadium for a game, New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore is alleging that police officers treated him aggressively and unprofessionally during a traffic stop.
New England Patriots Christian Barmore Accuse Providence PD Of Racism
Barmore says he is a victim of “racism.”
The Providence Police Department, according to reports put the blame on Barmore, asserting that it was a “routine traffic stop” that elevated because of other violations found, including marijuana, and behavior that they described as “belligerent.”
Barmore took to Twitter to voice his concerns after his car was towed in the incident.
“I just experienced for the first time 5 Providence cops being very unprofessional racism at its (sic) finest,” Barmore wrote on social media.”
According to reports PPD released body cam video to show that the encounter with Barmore was on the up and up and according to procedure.
The video shows police running Barmore’s information and Barmore, selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, demanding to know why he was pulled over.
Barmore And Police Get Into Heated Discussion Over Registration
As they assessed his driving information, one cop didn’t seem to like Barmore’s attitude and said to another, “The car took long to stop and he’s acting … I don’t know.”
They approach Barmore’s car and ask him for updated paperwork. Barmore was immediately annoyed. One cop threatened him, saying: “You want to have an attitude with us. … It’s not registered.”
The cops discussed the plates on Barmore’s car further, and one particular officer seemed to be very anxious to find something wrong. Several of the officers stood outside of the car looking at the paperwork and talking. The audio in the video continues to go in and out.
Meanwhile, Barmore was on the phone with his mother, who was heard on audio saying, “Christian, don’t curse.”
She was obviously mortified by the situation and the potential consequences for her son if the situation escalates. The cops made a decision to have the car towed and asked Barmore if his mother was going to come pick him up.
That’s when Barmore’s temperature elevated and he insisted his registration was fine and refused to let them tow his car.
“I’m a football player. I’m not here for none of that. I’m going to the crib,” Barmore said.
“I’m driving 10 miles per hour. I play football out here for the Patriots.”
Then the cops started complaining about Barmore being disrespectful and asking Barmore why it took him so long to pull over.
The police officer then said they were going to search his car.
Barmore said: “ Y’all can’t search my car.”
Then the audio went out again as Barmore and the officer exchanged conversation and when the audio returns you hear Barmore talking to his mother.
The cop starts explaining to Barmore’s mother what the situation is and explains how they want him to get out of the car, but the NFL player refuses and asks his mother if she wants him to get out. His mother tells him to step out for a second.
At this point the situation was elevated, but his mother was remaining calm.
The cop, who is also getting increasingly frustrated with Barmore’s refusal to exit the vehicle, says the car is insured but the plates “expired on October 5th.”
The cop went back and forth with Barmore’s mother about the validity of the plates and his actual address which is a Florida location.
Police Ignore Barmore’s Mother’s Warning That He’s On Blood Thinners
“I just want to go home, that’s all I want to do,” Barmore passionately expressed to the police. “You want to check my car for what? I don’t have any weapons. Y’all not my enemy,” Barmore is heard saying, before his mother requested for them to call a supervisor.
The police tell her that he’s “10 minutes away” and threatens to grab Barmore out of the vehicle.
“He’s on blood thinners, so you have to be extremely careful with him,” says Barmore’s mom.
His mother also tells him to roll his windows up. Barmore started daring the cops to touch him and cursing at the police at that point with his mom still on the phone.
Barmore gets out of the car and keeps repeating to the cops to “stop touching me, stop touching me.”
The cops keep threatening to lock him up and proceed to search his car.
At one point, a cop asked another, “What’s he reaching for?”
Barmore Is Lucky Situation Didn’t Escalate
This was a prime example of how situations escalate because everyone is on 100 and flexing their egos and no one is thinking with common sense.
If Barmore ended up dying from a medical condition, the cop’s career would likely be over. The mother advised him that Barmore is on medication and the cop ignored it, didn’t call any medical assistance and continued to engage and provoke Barmore, who was obviously emotional and upset, according to the video.
Barmore walked off and left the car shouting at the police who continued searching the car, but they didn’t arrest him. They discussed what tickets they would write him.
NFL Player Christian Barmore Is Fortunate Cops Didn’t Arrest Him
The situation could have been much worse. Both sides could have handled the situation better, same as with the Hill case.
Some on social media will say Barmore should have respected the police more. Others will say the police have to be better trained and more disciplined in their professional interaction with people.
Talking down to people and threatening them isn’t a police officer’s job. And there’s nowhere in the law that says a civilian must be polite to an officer for him to stay focused and do his job. However, the 1997 Pennsylvania v. Mimms Supreme Court does say an officer can order a driver out of the car for any reason during a traffic stop.
NFL players should feel safe in the city they work in and situations such as expired tags shouldn‘t escalate to possible arrests and confrontations with multiple officers.
On the other hand, the 25-year-old Barmore, who had a career season in 2023 with 8.5 sacks and 16 QB hits, is lucky and he needs to make better decisions, because he won’t always have his mother on speed dial to calm the situation down for him.