Virginia state trooper Charles Hewitt is under investigation after a video of him violently harassing and threatening a Black driver, Derrick Thompson, went viral online. According to NBC News 12, the incident took place in 2019—pre-COVID-19 pandemic—and action was not taken until video, shot by Thompson himself during the encounter—found new life online in recent days. Hewitt has been placed on leave pending this new investigation of the year old example of abuse of power. According to the police, the incident began with Hewitt pulling Thompson over because his tags were expired. What ensued is textbook police racism and overreach.
In the video, which you can watch below, Thompson can be seen talking to the camera, explaining that the police officer (Hewitt), flanked by other Virginia state troopers is reaching into his car and unlocking his car. “They just illegally entered my car.” From there, the tatted-up, overgrown Hewitt, with his angry red face, illustrates virtually everything wrong with law enforcement’s interactions with Black people, and specifically Black men.
While Thompson speaks to the camera in a very calm voice, a voice that most people would be hard-pressed to exhibit in a similar situation, Hewitt leans down and puts his face inches from Thompson, saying “Take a look at me. I‘m a fucking specimen right here, buddy. You have gotten on my last nerve.” It is at this point that Thompson, as calm as a saint, explains, “Sir, you are on camera, I have my hands up. I am no threat to the officers.”
As Thompson is saying he is no threat to the officers—something that is very easily understood by anyone listening or watching the video—Hewitt interrupts him to say “You’re gonna get your ass whopped in front of Lord and all Creation.”
Take the first two things that Hewitt says to Thompson. Run those through your head. Watch the video below and see how there is no context in which Hewitt isn’t terrorizing Thompson. At this point, Thompson swivels the camera so that you can see that not only is there a state trooper behind Hewitt, there is at least one other officer on the passenger side of his door. According to Virginia police, Hewitt smelled marijuana in the car. Shockingly, nothing even resembling marijuana was found in the car.
At this point, Hewitt tells Thompson he is giving him “one more chance,” telling him “you can film the whole thing!” Thompson continues speaking in a calm voice, saying he feels “threatened,” and “unsafe.” Remarkably, Thompson is able to keep his thoughts collected as he narrates exactly what is going wrong in this situation. “I have just been threatened by a law officer, as two other officers stand by and say absolutely nothing. Willing to participate. My passenger door was opened. My driver’s door was opened.”
Thompson explains that he is not “resisting,” and Hewitt begins taking off his seat belt, and then grabbing one of his raised hands, to which Thompson politely asks Hewitt to “please stop touching me.” This sets off the possibly supplement-soaked Hewitt to scream at Thompson while pointing his fisted finger into Thompson’s face. “I’m giving you to the count of three! Don’t do this. Don’t do it.”
At this point, Hewitt says that “now you’re being arrested for disobeying an officer.” To which Thompson repeats incredulously, “Obeying a law officer? Sir, I have been unlawfully detained.” It is at this point that the true sociopathy of Hewitt’s actions are revealed as Hewitt begins counting to three, and at the count of two, points to the camera, smiling, and saying “Watch the show, folks,” as he forcibly wrestles and grabs Thompson around the neck, and before the camera falls down Thompson can be heard saying “My life is in danger.” While there is no more image, the camera continues recording audio of this arrest. You can hear Hewitt yelling “How do you like that? How do you like that?” and telling Thompson that he is resisting.
According to Thompson’s lawyer, Joshua Erlich, while there were no drugs found in his car, and expired tags are a moving violation, Thompson was convicted of obstructing justice. Erlich told NBC 12 that Thompson “had lacerations to his head that were bleeding profusely. He also had some injuries to his legs. … He asked several times for medical treatment and did not receive it.”