Mistaken Traffic Stop Causes Ruckus in Salem Saturday Night

We've had several requests for information on what happened Saturday night in Salem on Commercial near the intersection of Browning.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - A line of police cars Saturday night on Commercial Street near Browning Road drew major attention from local residents around 8:00 PM that night. It was at traffic stop, and a case of mistaken identity.

One witness who called Salem-News.com said he couldn't believe what he was seeing, "The cops were screaming at this guy to get out of his car and he was yelling at them."

That same witness says a number of officers drew their weapons and kept them trained on the man being pulled over.

Police say it began with a shoplifting offense at the J.C. Penny store in downtown Salem. An attempt to locate bulletin was activated and officers quickly pulled over the gray minivan on Commercial near Browning.

But the driver, totally unaware of what was happening, didn't initially cooperate with police. That is what caused the high level of alert observed by passing motorists. In the end, the driver and his family were taken out of handcuffs and allowed to leave.

Salem-News.com did not initially publish the story because of the case of mistaken identity, but we opted to go ahead after receiving e-mail requests by people wanting to know what had actually occurred.