So I flipped this guy off in traffic...?

Question

and he follows me for the next ten miles, close, tailgating. The whole time his wife is on her cell phone. He eventually pulls up beside me on the highway and signals to me that he called the cops on me. Now, Im not the least bit worried about this dipshit, or the cops pulling me over, but what im wondering is CAN the cops pull me over on an anonymous tip for giving someone the bird? Im pretty sure that whoever answered the phone at dispatch just laughed and said whatever, but what are the chances that some overzealous cop with a chip on his shoulder will pull me over? and do they even keep track of that crap?

I'm 32. I flipped him off because he almost tboned me while running a red light, while i had my 8 month old daughter in the car. I also have my firearms permit, so im not tooo worried about "getting my hair parted"

This happened in Pennsylvania, by the way. Im not stupid enough to do that in some place as scary as "texas". OOOhhhh scary.

Answer 1

I actually had a case where I represented a guy who was charged with reckless driving after he passed 3 cars and allegedly almost hit oncoming traffic. Not a cop car was in sight, but the 3rd car he passed was driving by some crazy woman who followed him for 40 miles. Finally, she flagged him over and said she was affecting a "citizen's arrest." My client wasn't so bright, so he stayed and waited nearly an hour for the highway patrol to arrive to take the crazy lady's statement and charged the guy with reckless driving. The lady actually had criminal issues of her own (which is why I got the case) and had mental instability. I so wanted to take this case to trial, but the DA saw the light and settled for a speeding conviction.

So the guy asks me what he should have done. I told him that he should have flipped the ***** off and driven home. I would have never waited for the cops and neither should anyone else. But my client thought that a citizen's arrest meant that he was actually under arrest. It does not and it basically requires that a citizen see something and the arrest is actually made by a cop. The cop will ask the citizen if the citizen would like to make an arrest and the citizen would say yes. Otherwise, if the cop didn't see it or the cop doesn't have probable cause then the cop can't make the arrest. But if there are no cops there, I don't care what the citizen saw, the citizen has no authority whatsoever.

Can the cop pull you over because of the word of a citizen? If anonymous, absolutely not. If not anonymous, there has to be some modicum of evidence that a crime had been committed and that you committed the crime. There needs to be some cooberating evidence as well.

Flipping someone off is not a crime at all. The dispatchers were annoyed. I'm wondering if there wasn't something else. Did you accidentally cut them off or something? Or was this a road rage/call the police/I'll show you kind of thing? Why did you flip them off?

Also, there are nutty people in Pennsylvania as well and road rage shootings happen everywhere.

Answer 2

if that driver was coming up behind u @ a faster speed than you were, then you were supposed to move outta the way to the right lane. Law: slower traffic keep right also, note that you have to go with the flow of traffic, not the speed limit to ensure safety. NOW if u were in the left lane actually passing him, then he's just an *** h*** who doesnt understand how to drive on the freeway and aint supposed to be there in the first place.

Answer 3

I have had the same thing happen to me and I don't think you have anything to worry about. The only way an officer can pull you over and ticket you for something like that is if he sees you and you are driving recklessly or something like that. He should pull the guy following you over for tailgating!

Answer 4

Are you kidding me, you gave someone the finger and they called the police. These people are f***ed in the head. Cops should be tracking down murderers, and dangorous criminals not you since all you did was give them the finger. And you could even call the cops on them for stalking you that is illegal.

Answer 5

You have no problem. If some young rookie wanted to make a chicken $hit stop on you, he could get you for harassment, but it would probably be dismissed before court. If it came down to that (your word against his) you could mention the red-light. I would have done the same thing, with choice words of course.

Answer 6

We all deserve it once in a while,we all do stupid at sometime or another.Know one is perfect,even though we might think we are.Until someone flips you off and you get a reality check..hahaha Have a Great Day.

Answer 7

With road rage in California, the person I'd questions intellect is you. Maybe they were trying to tell you the same thing don't antagonize someone that has his hands on a lethal weapon. Yes a car is a lethal weapon. Give others a wide berth.

Answer 8

That would be against "Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Expression". I don't think you have any worries. I don't flip the bird, I give people the Maloike. (However it's spelled)

Answer 9

Ok, glad you find this so funny...but around here there have been some drivers who flip the bird at the wrong person never lived long enough to even regret it.

Answer 10

theorhetically, flipping someone off can be a criminal charge, but I highly doubt that any cop would act on it. Also, they would not pull you over on an anonymous tip.