Michigan Cop Pulls Black Mother Out of Car and Tasers Her Over Expired Registration In Front of Children, Claiming to be In Fear for His Safety

Lt. Matthew Furman of the Melvindale Police Department in Michigan is the quintessential bad cop; the one we’ve seen hundreds of times on videos over the years, using the power of the badge to harass, intimidate and abuse Black citizens — only to continue being promoted within the department.

Body camera videos reveal Furman to be a condescending cop who seems to take pleasure in destroying the lives of Black people, tasering them when they are posing no threat to him.

And his personnel records reveal a cop who has been suspended, fired, sued and criminally charged over the 12 years he has been a cop.

But now he is a lieutenant overseeing multiple police officers, making almost $110,000 a year, according to OpenGovPay, in a town where the median income is just over $41,000.

Even the local mainstream media, which usually takes pains to remain “objective” when it comes to reporting on police abuse, refer to him as “Melvindale’s most polarizing police officer.”

In essence, he is the type of cop who makes people lose trust in law enforcement, an abusive cop protected by police unions. And he remains protected because he generates hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for impounding cars, according to a former police chief who filed a lawsuit, claiming he was fired for trying to keep Furman in check.

The latest incident that surfaced last week with the release of bodycam footage took place last April after Furman approached a Black mother sitting in a car parked outside a school to drop off her 11-year-old daughter for cheerleading practice.

Alicia Cook said she was driving a friend’s car and had just received news that the friend had just gone through heart surgery when Furman approached her, telling her the registration on the car had expired and the vehicle was not insured.

Furman became enraged when he asked for her driver’s license but Cook told him “one second” because she had just answered a phone call from her mother.

“You’re on a traffic stop, don’t tell me one second,” Furman told her. “I’m giving you a lawful police order, it’s a public access parking lot, I have full jurisdiction, just like I do that roadway.”

“So lose the attitude and do as you are instructed,” he demanded.

He then called for backup and began claiming he was in fear for his safety, even though Cook did nothing to indicate she was going to harm him.

“I gave you a lawful order, and I’m concerned about my safety because you’re not doing what I told you. I want your ID and your keys,” he added.

“I’m worried about my safety,” Cook clarified.

Furman then began tasering her and yanking her out of the car, ordering her to lie face down on the ground with her hands behind her back.

“When I tell you to do something, you do it,” he yelled. “I told you I was concerned for my safety.”

“I was terrified from you,” he told her after she was handcuffed. “You terrified me. You scared me.”

Cook was jailed on several charges, including resisting arrest, interference with a police officer, and driving with a suspended license, but those charges were all dismissed by prosecutors.

“He shouldn’t be on the force,” Cook told WXYZ. “No one should ever have to encounter dealing with someone that feel like their authority is more important than a person’s humanity.”

Watch the bodycam video of Cook’s arrest below.

Prior Incidents and Disciplinary Action

Three months later, in July 2024, Furman did the same to a Black man named Drakkar Williams, who was tasered and yanked out of his car after being pulled over for driving around traffic barricades.

Williams was charged with resisting arrest, interfering with police, and providing false information to a police officer, which were all dismissed, but he pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license, without insurance, and dark tints.

In January, Williams filed a lawsuit against Furman and another lieutenant, accusing them of gross negligence, assault and battery, false arrest and more, WXYZ reported.

Furman is also being investigated by Michigan State Police over the arrest of Williams, but he has been investigated in the past and continues to abuse his power.

In 2016, he was suspended for three days for yanking a mother out of her car in front of her children after pulling her over for not having insurance, but that suspension was overturned by the Public Safety Committee, WXYZ reported.

A few months later, he slammed a robbery suspect’s head into a patrol car while he was handcuffed, splitting the man’s head open. Two cops who witnessed the incident stated under oath that his actions were uncalled for, including one cop who described the incident as being “way over the line.”

But an outside investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing in that incident as well.

In 2018, former Melvindale Police Chief Chad Hayes filed a lawsuit, accusing Furman of engaging in “repeated incidents of police brutality.” 

The former chief also accused Furman of towing an excessive amount of cars in order to raise revenue for the city, claiming the rogue cop was responsible for 80 percent of all impounded cars, generating $500,000 in revenue.

Hayes claimed he was fired for trying to keep Furman’s aggressive actions in check, and he appears to have received a settlement from that lawsuit, court records indicate, but the amount has not been publicized. 

Considered part of Detroit’s metropolitan area, Melvindale is a tiny municipality of less than three square miles with a population of less than 13,000 people, 87 percent of whom are white while 5 percent are Black, according to the U.S. Census.

In 2019, Furman was charged with assault and battery for abusing a drunk man, but those charges were dismissed, the Detroit Free Press reported.

However, he ended up fired over that incident before an arbitrator overruled the termination, allowing Furman to continue his revenue-generating abuse.

But when asked by local media if Furman understands how to de-escalate interactions with citizens, Melvindale Mayor Nicole Shkira said no.

“I feel like in the heat of the moment, he needs to learn how to put aside anger and just do his job,” Shkira told WXYZ.

When interviewed by WXYZ, Furman claimed he is “proactive” for his own safety.

“My priority’s doing whatever I have to do to go home,” he said. 

“And if that means someone’s getting tasered, then someone’s getting tasered. Then I’m going home to my family and my friends. That’s my No. 1 goal,” he admitted.

Watch the video below to see what West Virginia attorney John Bryan, host of The Civil Rights Lawyer YouTube channel, has to say about Furman.