Ramsey County ends felony prosecutions from low-level stops
David Donnell Jr. was arrested for shooting a Red Lake tribal police officer.[MGN]
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Ramsey County Attorney John Choi says he will no longer prosecute felony charges arising from most low-level traffic stops.
He said Wednesday that it’s time to change a practice that has disproportionately impacted generations of minority communities.
He says the new policy does not apply to situations that create a public safety hazard or when a vehicle is stopped because of a dangerous condition.
Stops for issues such as a broken tail light or expired license tabs can sometimes have fatal consequences. In 2016, Philando Castile was pulled over for a broken tail light. He was fatally shot after he told an officer he had a gun.