Tesla dash‑cam footage clears Florida driver, police officer steps down after two‑year ordeal

Winter Springs, Fla. – When Kevin Finley pulled into his driveway after dropping his kids at daycare, he never imagined a tiny camera perched on his Tesla would become his courtroom lifeline. Two years after a chaotic traffic stop that ended with him handcuffed at gunpoint, the video finally proved he didn’t run from the police.

Back in 2024, Officer Erik Schwartz pulled Finley over for allegedly speeding through an intersection. According to the officer’s report, Finley “lost traction and fishtailed,” and the officer claimed the driver tried to flee. In reality, Finley says he never saw flashing lights or heard sirens, and the Tesla’s rear‑view footage shows the unmarked cruiser’s lights flickering for only a split second – far too brief for any reasonable driver to notice.

Schwartz’s body‑camera audio captured a tense moment: “Turn around, get on your knees,” he ordered before cuffing Finley for a grueling 33 minutes. “I was very scared,” Finley recalled, adding that he had no clue what was happening.

Finley took the video to the Winter Springs Police Department the next day, hoping the footage would clear things up. “I was like, ‘Hey, I have video, we can sort this out,’ but they just brushed it off,” he told sister‑station WESH.

Fast forward to July 2026, the case went to trial. The Tesla’s camera, mounted on the back of the car, displayed the exact angle of the encounter, contradicting Schwartz’s claim that Finley had lost control. “It felt amazing,” Finley said after the jury deliberated. “I love the car even more now – it saved me from jail.” The judge ultimately acquitted him of all charges, noting there was no evidence of fleeing or eluding.

Shortly after the verdict, Winter Springs Police Chief Matthew Tracht announced that Officer Schwartz had resigned amid an ongoing internal investigation. The chief wrote on Facebook that the officer’s conduct “did not meet the standards and expectations” of the department, and that “there are lessons to be learned.”

Finley expressed mixed feelings. While he welcomed the resignation as “a first step toward accountability,” he criticized the delayed apology, calling it “two years too late.” He also said he plans to file a civil suit against the city.

The case underscores how everyday technology—like a Tesla’s built‑in dashcam—can tip the scales of justice, turning a routine traffic stop into a pivotal piece of evidence.