ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (UPI) -- A police officer in Pinellas County, Fla., drew her weapon on a man who tried to get her attention because he thought his car was on fire.
Larry Ray, 57, told The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times he was driving last Tuesday when his car appeared to overheat, and he attracted the attention of the police officer.
She signaled for him to pull over, and he made a U-turn through two lanes of traffic to pull into a parking lot.
Ray said when he got out of his car, afraid it was on fire, the police officer was drawing her weapon.
A sheriff's department spokesman said the officer thought Ray might be dangerous, so her actions were appropriate.
Ray -- who got a $117.50 citation to go with his car trouble -- disagreed.
"I felt like I was just drawn down on like somebody who robbed a bank," he told the newspaper. "That's excessive force."
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
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