A native of the Islamic Republic of Iran was arrested after getting aggressive during a traffic stop on U.S. Hwy. 27 in Lake County.
Police observed a gray Lexus speeding over a small hill on U.S. Hwy. 27 south of Lake Louisa State Park at 3:10 p.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol. The vehicle was traveling at 87 miles per hour in a 55-mph zone.
The officer conducted a traffic stop and approached from the passenger side, noticing there was a passenger with the driver, later identified as 21-year-old Abdulrahman Qadah Sami. The officer explained the reason for the stop and asked Sami for his license, registration and proof of insurance, the report said.
Sami denied speeding and was verbally evasive when answering questions about why his Lexus was still registered in New York despite being in Florida with a Florida driver’s license. He also stated he had been here since December and that he was a co-signer on the vehicle, the report said.
The trooper learned the New York registration for the Lexus was expired by more than six months. Sami was informed that his Lexus would be towed due to the significantly expired registration, causing him to become argumentative, the report said.
The trooper called for backup, and another FHP trooper arrived on scene as the arresting officer waited until the tow truck arrived, the report said.
During this time, Sami uttered numerous obscenities and racial/sexual orientation-based phrases that he repeated in various combinations towards the two officers. He also waved his cell phone wildly out the window and attempted to get passersby to stop and assist him. He requested a supervisor, and the officer agreed to provide contact information along with their own name and badge number in writing, the report said.
When the tow truck arrived, the officer approached the passenger side window to issue Sami his traffic citations with a mandatory court date for the speed. He indicated he needed time to read it and was verbally and physically evasive, the report said.
The trooper tried to hand him a pen to sign the citation, and Sami intentionally caused contact with his hand as he told the officer not to touch him. He then immediately pushed his hand against the officer’s hand, and the officer warned him not to do it again. He was also warned that if he did not sign the citation, he would be taken to jail, the report said.
The officer offered Sami the pen again, and he violently used his hand to shove the trooper’s right hand and grab the pen at the same time. In response, the trooper moved around to the driver’s side and informed Sami he was under arrest and told him to get out and put his hands behind his back, the report said.
Sami refused to do so, but the trooper cuffed his left wrist and told him to put his hands behind his back again, the report said. Sami pulled his right hand away from the trooper and exited the driver’s seat to face the trooper despite being told to face away.
The trooper forced Sami to turn around, and when he tried to turn again, the trooper used his body weight to pin him in the crevice of the driver’s door. The two troopers were able to pull Sami’s wrists together for just enough time to fully apply the handcuffs, the report said.
Sami then attempted to get out of the cuffs by pulling his left wrist upward, the report said. A trooper warned him that he would be charged with felony escape if he got out of the handcuffs before double locking them and checking for tightness.
Sami was subsequently charged with battery against a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest without violence and failure to notify the DMV of a vehicle address change within 30 days. He was transported to the Lake County Jail without further incident and released after posting $6,000 bond.