Last month, during a traffic stop that involved ICE, the Unified Police Department (UPD) revealed on February 4 that security footage did not back up the claims made by ICE agents.
According to reports, officers from the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake and the Murray Police Department responded to a traffic stop involving ICE just after 8 a.m. on January 26 at the intersection of 4600 S and 900 E. Initially, ICE agents alleged that during the stop—while they were handling another individual—the driver being detained swerved his vehicle toward them. Murray Police confirmed that they heard the same account from ICE.
However, when UPD officers pressed for details, they received an unclear explanation from the ICE agents. The following day, UPD reviewed surveillance footage from a nearby business to verify the agents’ version of events. The footage, as detailed in UPD’s press release, clearly showed that the driver did not swerve in the direction of the ICE agents. This discrepancy led UPD to dismiss the citation originally issued to the driver.
ABC4.com has obtained both the security footage and bodycam recordings from that day, with a clip now available for viewing below.
During the incident, while Murray PD placed the driver in handcuffs, UPD officers recommended that the restraints be removed immediately. The driver, who appeared visibly emotional, later mentioned that ICE agents had made threatening remarks toward him. UPD noted that although the driver admitted to yelling and honking at the agents, he denied any claim of swerving toward them. UPD further explained that since its officers did not observe the alleged behavior, ICE agents would need to act as complainants by signing a statement and testifying in court if they wanted to pursue charges.
Interestingly, out of the three ICE agents involved, two chose not to provide written statements. They instead suggested that issuing a citation to the driver was sufficient, a move UPD ultimately carried out by citing him for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle before releasing him.
Both Murray PD and UPD were present at the scene since the incident occurred near the boundary of their jurisdictions. UPD emphasized that while they do not enforce immigration laws, they respond to calls when public safety or officer safety is at risk.
“Our commitment is to ensure that concerns over immigration status never stop individuals from reaching out for law enforcement assistance, especially if they are victims or witnesses of crimes,” UPD stated.
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