This didn’t end well for the Fairfax, Virginia Police Department, or the victim, who was only days away from having undergone a C-section birth. Jamee Kimble, her one-year-old and five-year-old children, and another friend, were headed to the local Walmart. Suddenly, a stampede of police cars barreled toward them, and one drove right in front of her. 

Police pointed their guns

Once the head-on strike occurred, the police pulled their weapons and yelled for everyone in the car to get out. Yeah, it got serious real quick. “It was just so shocking and mind-wrecking,” Kimble told NBC Washington. “Everything happened so fast that when I didn’t realize what was going on, he had already hit us.”

Police handcuffed the adults and the children were taken to a patrol car. “I don’t know what protocol is, but they drew their guns at me and my friend from both sides of the car,” she said. “I still am very angry and, more than anything, hurt because I teach my children that the police are supposed to protect us and that if they need anything they can call them for help.”

Why did the police stop the car?

Officers suspected that those in the car had committed a crime, which led to the firestorm. But almost immediately, the police determined they had the wrong person. “This was a very traumatic situation, and for a long time, probably forever for me and my five-year-old, this will forever affect us,” Kimble said. 

The police say that Arlington County Police advised that a vehicle full of armed individuals could be dangerous. They further say that the officer who hit Kimble’s car did so at only 10 mph. Though trying to downplay the accident, the police fail to mention her C-section only days before. We doubt that the collision felt really good under those circumstances. But it also doesn’t address emotional damage.

Was this excessive force?

Kimble is upset, as any of us would be. This leads to discussions of excessive force. That falls under the Fourth Amendment for “reasonableness.” This is usually based on what the officer sees based on what he or she knows. With weapons involved, it is justifiable and reasonable to use force. 

If the officer believes that you may have committed a crime, they pretty much have an open book for how to handle the situation. Children inside the car would be considered decoys. But actually firing his or her weapon only can occur when the officer sees a gun raised. 

We don’t know where this will go, but Kimble wants the officers fired. That probably won’t happen, but does not lessen her and her passenger’s reactions and trauma felt.