TAYLOR, Mich. – A rally at the Taylor Police Department on Tuesday demanded justice for Chris Saul.
Saul was 18 years old when Taylor police tried to pull him over for speeding in 2016. He said he was confused by the officer’s commands, which started with lights then honking and sirens. After appearing to initially slow down for the police officer, he continued to drive in the same direction at a slow speed, in line with traffic around him.
You can see police footage from the incident below.
“I was just kind of following traffic and my thought was if all these people were going, I can go too,” he said.
But then another police car cornered Saul while he was at a stop, and officers then arrested him for eluding.
The family fought the charges and chose not to accept a reduced charge of a simple traffic citation. Instead, they ended up with a bench trial, which Saul lost. He was convicted of felony fleeing and eluding.
“I have lost years I’ll never get back. I have spent $60,000 to fight for what’s right,” said Saul’s mother, Kristina Saul.
The family wants Chris Saul’s record expunged. It’s an effort for which they have an unlikely ally: the Taylor police chief, who has spoken to Kristina Saul several times, including over email.
“He made a mistake but didn’t deserve a felony conviction,” Chief John Blair wrote in one of the emails. “I will say that in public and write a letter in support to whatever court is necessary.”
”We have been talked to from many different people that say how wrong it is and they want to help, but the system just doesn’t cooperate,” Kristina Saul said.
The family wants the state’s attorney general to take a look at the case, specifically how Chris Saul was treated by officers.
Below is police footage of the 2016 incident and the arrest, which shows two different perspectives from two separate recording devices. Halfway through the video, the entire incident plays over again from a different angle.
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