I'll never forget the day I got pulled over by a police officer. It was a shocking experience that left me feeling embarrassed, scared, and frustrated. I had just bought a brand new car, a Lambo, and had been driving it for only four days. As I was stopped at a red light in traffic, I was suddenly pulled over by an officer who seemed to be targeting me specifically because of my age.

The officer's behavior was completely unprofessional and patronizing. He didn't give me any warning or explanation for the stop, but instead simply told me that he had "suspicion of theft" because I couldn't produce physical paperwork to prove ownership of the car. I explained to him that I had all my documentation digitally on my phone, including proof of insurance and registration, but he just shook his head and said it wasn't enough. He then proceeded to impound my car without so much as a courtesy call or explanation.

The experience was terrifying because I knew I had done nothing wrong. I wasn't speeding, I wasn't doing anything illegal, and yet this officer felt justified in holding me over and taking my property away from me. It was like he had it out for me personally, rather than following the law. The worst part was when he said "legally" - implying that I was somehow to blame for not having physical paperwork on hand.

As I stood there, feeling helpless and scared, the officer's words cut deep. He was basically saying that I was a thief because I couldn't be bothered to carry around old-fashioned paperwork. It was like he had no respect for me as an individual or for my rights as a car owner. I felt embarrassed and ashamed, like I had done something wrong just by being young and new to car ownership.

The officer's behavior was not unique, however. As someone who has worked in the automotive industry for years, including working on cars magazines back in 1991, I have seen it time and time again - that police officers often use their power to target certain individuals or groups based on arbitrary criteria such as age, appearance, or socioeconomic status. It's a sad reality of life, but one that we must acknowledge and address if we want to create a more just and equitable society.

In this particular case, I was lucky to have friends who are also police officers, including my friend James, who happened to be the officer who pulled me over. When he called me, I immediately told him what had happened and asked for his help in getting out of the situation. He agreed to come pick me up in his car, but when he arrived, he was visibly annoyed with me - presumably because I was being so open and honest about the incident.

It's funny how things work out sometimes. Because James knew my background as a car magazine expert, he had an extra layer of credibility that helped him navigate the situation better than if he were just another police officer. But even with his expertise, there was still no way to resolve the issue without some serious backtracking and explanation. I guess that's what happens when you're dealing with bureaucratic red tape - sometimes common sense just doesn't seem to apply.

In any case, the experience left me shaken but also determined to speak out about it. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, I urge you to stay calm, be respectful, and above all, have someone on your side who can advocate for you. And if all else fails, just remember that you're not alone - there are people like me who have been through this same ordeal and come out the other side with even more appreciation for life and a deeper understanding of the complexities of our justice system.

Years later, it still makes me chuckle thinking about my Ferrari and Sonny - I mean Carla Walls, the new kid on the block trying to navigate car ownership in the early 90s. Who would have thought that something so mundane as getting pulled over by a cop could become such an enduring memory?

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enbut I had this car for four days after buying it I got pulled over in traffic so I wasn't speeding wasn't doing anything I got pulled over by an officer well just because I'm so young I get all that I didn't have physical paperwork on me I had it digitally on my phone because a car was so new old paper was at home but he literally holding me over on the side of the freeway took me out of the car like patted me down and impounded my car it was very embarrassing what did they say when they discovered it actually was yours oh I never saw the officer again but he was he was it's very meaningful I was I've never been so scared in my life he was just pulled me over and he was like you're telling me that you're driving this car and you have nothing to show for it that it's yours I'm like I just bought it I had the Lambo dealership on the phone trying to talk with him I had proof of insurance I had all my documentation he's like legally I have suspicion of theft because you can't show me physical documentation so I had the liberty to seize her vehicle the tow trucks already on the way get out of the car and then yeah it was easy to dig he was oh my god I've never I've never had such a word I've never been pulled over maybe like 10 15 times and that was by far and I'm never an that's kids keep that straight you pull me over even if I'm really doing nothing like it wasn't that far I'm gonna be respectful I'm not gonna make an ass of myself I don't want any trouble and it was just from the from the gecko James it was like he knew that he had me and he just laid every single but law he could on me I think he secret he won't sit around beginning he was annoyed that you have one yeah and and what was even what even like made it even better is I have a few friends that are police officers as well so I got pulled over I immediately called them told him situation I had them come pick me up in their car as a police officer and nothing often he was not happy if is because I mean obviously I'm Carla walls the new but back in the when I worked on car magazines so I'm going back to when I was on auto car which was in 1991 so you were still three years away from even existing and I was pulled over driving it was a Ferrari actually it was a well the head was a mom D out that's how long ago it was but the way the police do it is very patronizing is they stopped me and they said borrowed your father's car have you Sonny but of course that can't happen to me anymore because I'm old enough to be my dad back when I was pulled for driving the Ferraribut I had this car for four days after buying it I got pulled over in traffic so I wasn't speeding wasn't doing anything I got pulled over by an officer well just because I'm so young I get all that I didn't have physical paperwork on me I had it digitally on my phone because a car was so new old paper was at home but he literally holding me over on the side of the freeway took me out of the car like patted me down and impounded my car it was very embarrassing what did they say when they discovered it actually was yours oh I never saw the officer again but he was he was it's very meaningful I was I've never been so scared in my life he was just pulled me over and he was like you're telling me that you're driving this car and you have nothing to show for it that it's yours I'm like I just bought it I had the Lambo dealership on the phone trying to talk with him I had proof of insurance I had all my documentation he's like legally I have suspicion of theft because you can't show me physical documentation so I had the liberty to seize her vehicle the tow trucks already on the way get out of the car and then yeah it was easy to dig he was oh my god I've never I've never had such a word I've never been pulled over maybe like 10 15 times and that was by far and I'm never an that's kids keep that straight you pull me over even if I'm really doing nothing like it wasn't that far I'm gonna be respectful I'm not gonna make an ass of myself I don't want any trouble and it was just from the from the gecko James it was like he knew that he had me and he just laid every single but law he could on me I think he secret he won't sit around beginning he was annoyed that you have one yeah and and what was even what even like made it even better is I have a few friends that are police officers as well so I got pulled over I immediately called them told him situation I had them come pick me up in their car as a police officer and nothing often he was not happy if is because I mean obviously I'm Carla walls the new but back in the when I worked on car magazines so I'm going back to when I was on auto car which was in 1991 so you were still three years away from even existing and I was pulled over driving it was a Ferrari actually it was a well the head was a mom D out that's how long ago it was but the way the police do it is very patronizing is they stopped me and they said borrowed your father's car have you Sonny but of course that can't happen to me anymore because I'm old enough to be my dad back when I was pulled for driving the Ferrari\n"