An interaction between a police officer and a one-armed woman has gone viral after the woman quickly refuted a claim the officer made during a stop under suspicion of distracted driving.

An officer with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida pulled over Kathleen Thomas, 36, and claimed she was driving with a phone in her “right hand.”

Thomas responded to the claim by raising her right arm, showing the officer that she did not have a right hand.

“We’re doing an operation for distracted driving. You drove past me holding a phone with your right hand, manipulating the phone,” the officer said in the body camera footage.

“So obviously not!” Thomas said after raising her right arm.

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“So you wanna just call this a day?” she asked.

“I don’t want to call it a day. You had a hand up,” the officer responded.

“You just said my ‘right hand,'” Thomas answered.

“Well, I thought I saw your hand,” the officer said.

“So you didn’t,” Thomas said.

“With the right hand, perhaps not, right,” the officer responded.

“You’re saying that you saw me with my right hand,” Thomas said.

“I know what I just said. I know what I said. I am asking you, now. Did you or not have your phone in your hand?” the officer questioned.

“I did not,” Thomas replied.

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Watch the video below:

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The officer reviewed Thomas’ license and registration before issuing her a citation for allegedly violating Florida’s wireless communications while driving law.

It was Thomas’ first offense and came with a $116 penalty, CBS 12 reported.

To no surprise, she challenged the citation in court. But a court hearing scheduled for Wednesday was cancelled when the officer involved in the traffic stop requested a dismissal due to “lack of evidence,” Thomas announced on TikTok.

“Bro, we knew that already,” she chided.

The officer faced intense criticism on social media after the body camera footage went viral:

CBS 12 shared further:

Court records show the citation was dismissed at the request of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy who issued it. A court hearing had been scheduled for Tuesday, but was canceled after the case was dropped.

The citation, issued Feb. 11 along North Dixie Highway in Lake Worth Beach, accused the driver of violating Florida’s wireless communications while driving law. The case drew widespread attention after the woman posted video of the traffic stop on TikTok, where she questioned the deputy’s claim that he saw a device in her “right hand.” She said she does not have a right hand.

EARLIER STORY IS BELOW

A Lake Worth Beach traffic stop is gaining attention online after a woman was cited for using a wireless communications device while driving, but video of the encounter is now sparking debate over how Florida’s distracted driving law is enforced.

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The citation, issued by a deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on February 11 around 8:04 a.m. along North Dixie Highway, lists the charge as “Wireless Comm. Device/Handheld While Driving – First Offense” under Florida Statute 316.305(3)(a), with a civil penalty of $116.

Watch additional footage below:

 

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