Motorists are outraged by a TikTok video that appears to show more than 150 people being hit for the same ticket by the same police officer.
Posted by Keara Kenise from Houston, the viral video shows the alleged criminals lined up outside a Katy courthouse last week.
They all received citations from Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Raymond Hubbard after being stopped at the same intersection. Kenise proceeds to complain about what happened, while adding an element of humor to keep things light.
As for an explanation, a public information officer told DailyMail.com that the intersection that generated the tickets is a “high crash area,” one that Hubbard had been specifically assigned to police.
That explains the large number of fines, he said, adding that Hubbard regularly hands out ‘300 tickets a month.’
Scroll down to watch the video:
Motorists are up in arms over a TikTok video showing more than 150 people being hit with the same ticket by the same police officer. Posted by Keara Kenise of Houston, the viral video shows the alleged criminals lined up outside a Katy courthouse last week.
They all received citations from Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Raymond Hubbard after being stopped at the same intersection.
“If you watch the video, you’ll see people laughing, but none of them said they didn’t do it,” Rep. Thomas M. Gilliland told DailyMail.com of the high number of tickets for “inappropriate stopping at a traffic light.”
He added that they were all distributed near the intersection of Fry Road and Interstate 10, an intersection that he said has become a problem spot over the years.
Temple further revealed how Hubbard is part of a program specifically designed to issue a large number of tickets to such areas, after more than 27 years on the force.
That fact seemed to go unnoticed by the small army of motorists seen in Kenise’s clip, including herself.
Commenting on the commonalities shared among members of the crowd, Kenise follows the line and asks each Texan why they were stopped.
Everyone responds with the same answer, leading to a humorous display in which she asks members of the congregation to “raise their hands.”
‘Everyone who was stopped for failing to give way on Fry Road, raise your hand!’ the woman proclaims at one point.
Almost everyone in line responded by extending one of their arms toward the sky, most doing so while smiling despite the reason for their visit.
“If you watch the video, you’ll see people laughing, but none of them said they didn’t do it,” Rep. Thomas M. Gilliland told DailyMail.com of the high number of tickets for “improper stops” at a traffic light.
Kenise continued: ‘Everyone that was stopped, he came with that megaphone yelling, telling them to stop like they committed a federal crime, raise your hand!’
All hands remain raised.
“It doesn’t make sense,” Kenise is heard exclaiming, before focusing on the man responsible for them being there.
“That’s a shame,” he begins. ‘We put it on TikTok: we have to stop it! He says they all ran a stop sign on Fry Road! ‘Officer Hubbard!’
Others gathered at the scene are seen laughing in response.
Meanwhile, commentators also offered their own comments on the meeting, with one commenting, “That judge is going to have fun with this.”
‘Tomorrow I will go to court for the same thing!’ added another.
“I’m raising my hand,” someone else said.
He added that they were all distributed near the intersection of Fry Road and Interstate 10, an intersection that he said has become a problem spot over the years.
The original clip of the exchange, according to the woman who posted it, was deleted after 600,000 views.
Since then, a new publication has obtained 3,000 more, as Sergeant Temple on Monday explained in depth the state-funded initiative responsible for the flood of subpoenas.
“We participate in a state-funded initiative called the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP),” he wrote in an email.
‘This program is funded through grants from the Texas Department of Transportation and is designed to deter traffic violations at the most dangerous intersections.
“Deputy Hubbard and the Traffic Enforcement Program play a crucial role in improving traffic safety in the community,” he continued. ‘On average, it issues 300 summonses each month.
“Accident data at the intersection of Fry Road and Clay Road is particularly alarming: seven major accidents were recorded in September,” he continued, sharing several other intersections in the area that earned the distinction.
“Deputy Hubbard and the Traffic Enforcement Program play a crucial role in improving traffic safety in the community,” said one PIO, while trying to explain the state-funded initiative in which officers like Hubbard hand out tickets. ‘On average, it issues 300 summonses each month.
“This underlines the importance of applying specific measures in areas with high accident rates.”
He added that the force is currently in the process of working with local magistrates to stagger the days so that the volume of fines is lower, in the hope of avoiding an outcome like that seen in the TikTok clip.