Ohio police officer pulls African-American driver over for making 'direct eye contact'

A Michigan man named John Felton has uploaded to Facebook a video of his interaction with a Dayton, Ohio, police officer who says he pulled Felton over for making "direct eye contact." Earlier in the recording, the cop says he initiated the traffic stop because Felton did not employ his turn signal a full 100 feet in advance of turning, an infraction he claims to have observed after trailing Felton for two miles.

After the officer takes Felton's license back to his car, Felton, who is black, turns to the camera and explains to his friend that he knew he would be pulled over after the police officer began following him for no apparent reason. "I'm keeping this sh-t recording," he adds. "He ain't about to Sandra Bland me."

"A Dayton Police Officer pulled John Felton over on Aug. 15 for not signaling within 100 feet of a turn. During the stop the officer additionally acknowledged that Mr. Felton made sustained direct eye contact prior to being stopped," the City of Dayton said in a statement after Felton's video amassed nearly 50,000 views on Facebook. "The traffic infraction was verified by the video; however making direct eye contact with an officer is not a basis for a traffic stop."

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