Police officers throwing their weight around isn’t anything new. It’s not exactly rare for someone to end up on the wrong side of a power trip, and the latest victim appears to be a Texas resident who recently went through a disturbing experience. Using their Reddit handle Loose-handles, they shared what happened when they were pulled over around 4:30 p.m. during what seemed like a routine traffic stop. The officer informed them there was an outstanding arrest warrant tied to an unpaid speeding ticket from 2019.
Loose-handles was stunned. They explained that they’ve always paid their traffic tickets and had no idea a warrant even existed. Since 2019, they had renewed their vehicle registration five times, obtained a new Texas driver’s license just last year, and had been pulled over twice since 2020. None of those interactions brought up the issue.
They were told to step out of the car, searched, handcuffed, and placed in the back of a patrol vehicle. Their phone, wallet, and keys were taken before they were transported to a magistrate’s office. There, they were held in a cell with five others for about three hours before being brought before a judge.
What made the situation even more uncomfortable was being chained to three other individuals who were reportedly facing felony charges. This occurred despite Loose-handles being detained over a traffic-related warrant. When they asked the judge why the warrant had never been mentioned during past DMV or police interactions, the judge simply shrugged and said they would need to sort it out in traffic court.
After the hearing, they waited another three hours in the same holding cell before release paperwork was finally processed. When they asked officers whether this kind of treatment was normal, one reportedly replied, “You’re lucky, six hours isn’t that bad.”
Loose-handles wrapped up their post by warning fellow San Antonio residents to regularly check the city website for any unresolved tickets or warrants. They said they were completely blindsided by what happened and expressed concern that others might also be subjected to unnecessarily harsh treatment over minor traffic issues. “The whole event felt very dehumanizing. I don’t have a record outside of traffic tickets,” the San Antonio resident wrote.
Many Redditors expressed sympathy for the San Antonio resident, agreeing that no one should have to go through such an experience over a traffic matter. Several users shared similar encounters with law enforcement, recounting stories of excessive or confusing treatment.
One commenter wrote, “Happened to me in Bexar County Precinct 2. Got a ticket for not dimming my high beams (?), and had unpaid court fees I thought were settled from Precinct 3 over an expired registration. They kept me in those military cuffs in holding for a few hours. Man, it was ridiculous.”
