Selma's mayor says viral traffic stops played a role in a police officer's firing

Selma police said Thursday they fired an officer after a traffic stop that went viral.

In the video, Officer Joseph Atkinson Matthews stopped Sanders on Sept. 18 on Randleman Road near U.S. Highway 70 for expired tags.

“They followed me into a gas station,” Sanders told WRAL News. “I pulled into the gas station where an officer was already parked… and purchased a few items.”

Sanders said he sat in his car for about five minutes before leaving, but officers followed him and turned on his lights “within 30 seconds of leaving the gas station.”

Sanders said both officers gestured for him to get out of his car.

“When they got to my door, they could have smelled the marijuana in his car,” Sanders said, adding that his car did indeed smell of the drug. “They kept telling them to get out of the car and didn’t ask for my driver’s license until I got out.”

Sanders said he began recording the encounter because he was afraid.

“Sometimes you’re just scared when someone stops you,” he said. “It's typical these days to have a camera that doesn't blink; it’s about responsibility.”

Sanders said things escalated after Atkinson allegedly deleted the video of the traffic stop from his phone. Sanders restored the deleted footage and posted it on YouTube.

“He doesn’t have to wear a uniform,” he said. “When you wear a uniform you are held to higher standards [and] He disrupted that when he deleted my video.”

According to Selma Mayor Byron McAllister, Atkinson was on probation before his firing. He said the deadline is six months for each city employee.

Several other factors, including the viral video, led to his firing.

“During the course of an internal investigation, several other factors related to the officer’s performance warranted dismissal [the] “The boss was worried,” he said.

While McAllister said Selma police fired Atkinson, he stood by the officer's actions during the traffic stop and added that there was no evidence that Atkinson deleted the footage from Sanders' phone.

“We conducted a forensic search of the phone records, but it was unable to substantiate this claim,” McAllister said.

Police charged Sanders with the following traffic stop:

• Registration expired.
• Violation of the taillight.
• Possession of marijuana up to half an ounce.
• Possession of marijuana paraphernalia.
• Resisting an officer.

Sanders said he was not concerned about the charges related to the traffic stop, adding that he borrowed the car and officers did not show him marijuana.

“I had every right to take shots,” he said. “It was my cell phone. They didn't put me in jail and he had no reason to stop the camera. I feel hurt, man.”