‘Is it your Russian immigrant status that makes you treat people like this?’ Republican House candidate Martin Hyde insults Florida cop and says ‘You know who I am right?’ after he was pulled over for speeding and texting
Apparently not all Republicans back the blue.
Hot-headed GOP congressional candidate Martin Hyde was caught on police body camera footage being so unruly when he was pulled over for speeding and texting that police officer Julia Breskin had to call for backup.
When Breskin pulled Hyde over for driving 57 mph in a 30 mph zone and texting while driving, he said to her, ‘You know who I am, right?’
‘Yes sir, I do,’ Breskin said, as she asked to see his license and registration. He hands over only his license.
As Breskin asked again for his registration, Hyde, a U.K. native and former professional soccer player taunts her: ‘Arrest me.’
As she repeatedly asks to see his registration, Hyde says: ‘You’re making career decisions.’
Hyde, running on a populist platform against Rep. Vern Buchanan in the GOP primary, has scored the endorsement of right-wing figures Roger Stone and Michael Flynn.
He’s earned a reputation for his short temper in the Sarasota area, having run for Sarasota City Commission twice, and has been a fixture in public comment at Sarasota City Commission and Sarasota County School Board meetings, according to Florida Politics.
Former Sarasota City Commission candidate Rob Grant recently called police on Hyde and alleged the candidate had called him a ‘f***ing d***head unprompted when the two ran into each other at a cafe.
‘Why are you doing this?’ Hyde asks the cop. ‘Sir, because you were speeding and you were texting.’
After Breskin returns to her own cruiser and looks up his vehicle info, she walks back up to Hyde’s window.
When Breskin pulled Hyde over for driving 57 mph in a 30 mph zone and texting while driving, he said to her, ‘You know who I am, right?’
‘I just called your supervisor. Is it your Russian immigrant status that makes you treat people like this?’ Hyde asks the cop
‘I just called your supervisor. Is it your Russian immigrant status that makes you treat people like this?’ he asks her.
Hyde eventually produces an expired registration. As Breskin informs him he will be cited for speeding, texting and failing to produce a registration on request, he tells her to ‘shut up’ and says, ‘You are stupid. It’s right here.’
‘I’m a law-abiding citizen and you’re being bloody rude,’ he tells her.
As Breskin tries to hand over the citations, Hyde shows her his phone case, campaign merchandized emblazoned with ‘HYDE 2022.’ ‘You’re talking to a congressional candidate like this,’ he says.
Another officer arrives on scene after Breskin calls for back up. Hyde tells the other officer: ‘We’re going to make sure she pays the price for being disrespectful.’
After the video started to garner attention, Hyde issued a statement on Facebook saying he wasn’t going to try to ‘justify’ his behavior and admitted it was not the first time he had acted that way.
‘Just over a week ago I was stopped in Sarasota for speeding. During the stop I was belligerent and rude to the officer who stopped me. Much interest has been shown in local media and many comments made as to my behavior. I’m not going to justify my poor temper on that day or attempt to mitigate it in any way . There will be some who will say it’s not the first time I’ve acted out and they’d be right. I have faults and one of them is to be overly aggressive on occasion when I’m challenged. In the political arena that is possibly a good thing but on a personal level it’s not.
‘I’ve apologized to the officer in question, and now I’m apologizing to the community as a whole. I’m going to do my utmost to behave better going forward. I’m not running away though as that’s not in my nature. There is nothing more I can say, or will say on this subject other than I’m sorry for any offense caused to anyone.’
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