1 week Ago By Storyful
A city councilman in Highland Park, Michigan, was facing multiple criminal charges after he refused to take a breathalyser test at the scene of a crash on Monday, April 7. Bodycam footage released by Highland Police Department shows a responding officer question Highland Park city councilman Khursheed Ash-Shafii and the occupants of the other vehicle involved in the collision on Hamilton Avenue in Highland Park. Ash-Shafii tells the officer he does not have insurance or registration for the vehicle.
“There was nobody here. All of a sudden, I don’t where the f*** they come from. They were right in front of me and we ran right into each other,” Ash-Shafii told the officer.
Later in the clip, when the officer further questions Ash-Shafii in the back of an ambulance, he declines to take a breathalyser test and says: “I don’t have alcohol in my system.” The officer informs Ash-Shafii his refusal to take the rest will result in a civil infraction of up to $200, which the councilman accepts. In a police report, released to Storyful, the officer said the paramedic saw Ash-Shafii vomit after being moved to an ambulance and observed a smell of alcohol coming from him.
When the officer searched Ash-Shafii’s car, he found an open bottle of liquor in a brown paper bag. Police said Ash-Shafii became “aggressive” towards officers while being transported to Henry Ford Hospital. Police said he complied at the hospital and a blood test was taken before he transported to Highland Park jail.
The councilman is facing several charges, including operating under the influence of alcohol, resisting a police officer, and driving with a suspended license. Credit: Highland Park Police Department via Storyful Video Transcript Does anybody need medics? Were you guys involved? You guys need meds? look at my face, bro. I don't know what the fuck that happened bro.
This *** ran directly into us. Can you get me bro? I got one. This *** ran directly into me, man.
All right, you just have a, just have a seat because you're bleeding right now. Just have a seat real quick. Can you just have a seat real quick? Yeah, just have a seat right here, bud.
Hey, just have a seat. I don't want you to fall in. I can't see.
I gotta, you need mad too. Uh, who was driving the, uh, who's driving the Impala? I'm at, I'm on. Who's driving the Impala? You care for wasting time? But uh I'll be on the couch.
Uh, do you have your license on you? Yes. Can I see that real quick? Uh, 14. I need to sit down.
Yeah, that's right. Do you need do you need rescue? Hey, I need you guys to sit over there, please, because you're bleeding. I don't want you to pass out or anything, OK.
Do you need a rescue? Yeah. 15 of us we advise that two individuals need ami. Oh Tang right over here for you.
Be advised I got 2 individuals that need AmeriPro, just advise the Ameriro that 2 individuals need to be checked out. Uh, it's my ID. Thank you.
I'm a driver. I appreciate that. Is this vehicle registered to you? Yes, I appreciate it.
Can you tell me what happened with us? Can you lower the music if it's OK. Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you, I appreciate that.
What was going on? I was turning the corner. Uh, which way were you driving, sir? I was coming from that way. So you're driving this way? So northbound on Hamilton? OK.
I had to clear. There was nobody here. And all of a sudden, I don't know where the fuck they come from, but they ran right in front of me and we ran right into each other.
OK. So were they, were they? I'm assuming by the by the collision they were driving south. We trying to turn it up.
OK, I live right here on the, I live right here on the street. OK, so you're trying to turn left. Yes, OK.
Did you not see them? I did not see them until I hit them. They came out of no fucking way. I said you not.
OK, um, kind of question, were you on your phone? Were you distracted or anything? I wasn't distracted at all. I wasn't on my phone. I wasn't doing nothing.
OK. Were your headlights on? Yes. OK.
Were there headlights on? I didn't see the headlights on. OK. All right, well, we got Airorro en route, so, uh, just hang tight for me, OK? Anything, yeah, no problem.
You have anything else that, anything else I need to know about? Nothing? OK. No, just don't touch anything right now. Could you please, do you have your insurance, insurance? No, I don't have insurance.
You don't have insurance on your vehicle. OK, I won't lie to you I don't. Oh no, I appreciate that.
I mean, yeah. Oh no, you're good. Yeah.
Can you go get me the uh PP2? Yeah. They said it was OK. You good? Are you gonna get transported or not? How far is it? Do I know how far it is? Uh, Henry Ford.
What's up guys? Hey. I'll talk to you from the side. Really, I'm, I'm he was through.
Yeah, it's not yeah, it's not when I walked in. Uh, don't let him go. Uh, I'm letting go.
I gotta tell him, uh, that I, well, we're, we're gonna be here at minimum until our other unit gets here, um, I mean we can wait. I'm gonna take our time. I gotta let them blow.
I'll make sure. Hey, uh, just give me a sec. Uh, those two cars I gotta go.
Uh, those 2 cars are gonna go. Just give me one sec, please. Hey, so, um, our unit one, once we got in the back of the, you vomited, then you can smell odor of alcohol, which is our councilman.
Um, he's going to the hospital. Um, I can't have him do SFSTs cause he's he's in a stretcher. So I'm, I'm gonna do a BPT, but I don't know if you wanna do an OWI and all that cause I gotta do the warrant for the blood drawing and I have to talk to him about it first.
So I don't know which route you wanna go, visibly impaired or. OK, so OK. I never did a warrant.
OK, I never did a warrant. I never did an OWI before, so I need you to guide me through this stuff. OK.
Well, he's already going to the hospital. So, um, what do you, I'm gonna confirm that, but what do you want me to do from here? OK. OK, so I'll have 21 go to the hospital, so I can finish up these documents right here real quick.
I already gave them tickets. To No, not yet. Uh, he's, he's in the back there waiting.
OK, read, read what? Yeah. Yeah OK, what do you, the, uh, well, I'm gonna have him do the PPT for one and then uh for the OWI what am I gonna read to him? OK, I don't have that form. Is 21 still there? Can you give it to him? Isn't that a form? OK.
Just read it for him. I'll read it to him. OK, then if he says no, then uh 21 will just stand with him at the station until I type up the affidavit for the warrant, then we'll just go to get it signed, then I'll go over there and I'll get it one.
OK, I just, I'm asking you because I never did, did one of these before. All right. All right.
Thanks. Bye. No.
No, I do, but you, you're gonna get a form because I'm gonna have to do a blood draw, but I'm just, I just need to go get the paperwork for me. I, I hated that, I know we had trouble even getting you guys out, so, uh, yeah, we, we just had to go do something at, uh, Harper's, so that's the only reason why we were by but are they both kind of, huh? Oh yeah, OK. So is it just you? Hey, so, um, given the fact that um I do smell alcohol from your vomit, I'm gonna have you blow in this uh BPT, OK, it's a preliminary breath test.
This is inadmissible in court. It will not be used in court. Um, it's just like I said, a preliminary cause I do smell alcohol.
Are you OK with that? I don't have any alcohol in my system. I know we just smell alcohol. If you don't, that's even better.
I just got, uh, X and my, you know, just X and T's, you know, just to make sure nothing's in here, OK? OK. I just wanna let you know one thing real quick, um, refusal to blow this in Michigan state law, it's, uh, it's so. Infraction up to $200.
Give me one second, OK. That's it's your right. I'm not intoxicated.
I'm not saying that, sir, at all. I'm just doing my job. Is this the preliminary in, OK, and it's your right.
You have the right to deny it, which is I understand, but I did advise you on denying it what the consequences. OK? OK, thank you so much for your patience. OK, I'm just waiting on one more document.
Once it gets here, I'm gonna read it off to you real quick, OK? OK, I hope you feel better. You're OK? You feeling good? Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Just hang tight for me one sec.
What's up, but I let me get your license real quick. So, you're not at fault, but you're driving with no license suspended. I have to give you a ticket for it, OK? So I can tell you what, I'll just give you a ticket real quick, OK.
.
