Moment NYC councilman and exonerated Central Park 5 member Yusef Salaam is stopped by NYPD for driving around with Georgia licence plates and tinted windows – as he comes under fire for saying cops stopped him ‘for no reason’

This is when Yusef Salaam, New York City Councilman and member of the acquitted group of men known as the Central Park Five, is pulled over by police for out-of-state license plates and tinted windows.

Salaam was stopped by officers in Harlem on Friday evening and was able to leave less than a minute later after identifying himself as a council member.

The police officer can be heard on CCTV footage released by the NYPD asking Salaam to roll down the rear windows of his car.

Salaam then informs the officer that he is a councilor and asks if everything is okay, before the officer withdraws without further explanation.

Police later said in a statement that Salaam was stopped for driving over the legal limits with a dark tint and a Georgia license plate.

Police later said in a statement that Salaam was stopped for driving over the legal limits with a dark tint and a Georgia license plate

Salaam, a Democrat, later said in a statement: “This experience has only increased the importance of transparency for all police investigative stops, as the lack of transparency allows racial profiling and unconstitutional stops of all kinds to occur and often go unreported. ‘

In a statement, the NYPD said: “Excessive tint is a violation of the Vehicle Traffic Law.

“When officers stop a vehicle with these types of violations, as evidenced by the video of the incident involving Councilmember Salaam, it creates a safety risk by interfering with the new person in the vehicle.

“The officer was professional, respectful and exercised discretion during this stop.

“The council member’s comments surrounding this incident are unfortunate and surprising given his position as a partner in the public safety mission.”

Salaam’s office confirmed this to the New York Post that he had Georgia license plates on his car until last week, despite being in New York and holding a position for two years.

City Council member Sandy Nurse said she was on a video call with Salaam and other people when he was arrested.

The nurse said she heard Salaam ask the officer the reason for the stop, but none was given.

Under the NYPD Patrol Guide and the city’s administrative code, police officers are not required to say why someone is being stopped for a low-level violation, such as a tinted window violation.

Fellow council members have since called on Salaam to resign over the interaction, with Queens Councilman Robert Holden saying he lied about the exchange.

City Councilor Sandy Nurse said she was on a video call with Salaam, seen here last November, and other people when he was apprehended

In 1989, Salaam, along with four other then-teenagers, was wrongfully convicted of raping a woman. He is seen here at age 16, arriving at the state Supreme Court in August 1990

In a message to

“Worse, he lied about the exchange until the NYPD straightened things out. CM Salaam should resign as Public Safety Chairman.”

Councilman Joe Borelli added, “The sad thing is you go through an incident where someone gives you a break, does you good, and then misrepresents the truth to get them in trouble.

‘If bodycam footage had surfaced of me using my office in the hope of getting out of a ticket, I wonder how different the reaction would have been?

In 1989, Salaam, along with four other then-teenagers, was wrongfully convicted of raping a woman.

After spending years in prison, with Salaam serving nearly seven years behind bars, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.

Salaam was arrested along with Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise and charged with assaulting a woman who was jogging in Central Park.

The crime dominated headlines in the city and raised racial tensions as police rounded up black and Latino men and boys for questioning.

The teenagers convicted of the attack served between five and 12 years in prison before the case was re-investigated.

A serial rapist and murderer was eventually linked to the crime through DNA evidence and a confession.

The Central Park Five’s convictions were vacated in 2002 and they received a combined $41 million settlement from the city.