A Massachusetts man who recorded selfie video while driving a rented Mustang last week nearly ran down an officer who tried to pull him over, according to police.
Police in Framingham said Abdulrahman Jawad, 20, of Worcester, was arrested Friday morning after admitting to taking selfie video as he drove down Union Avenue.
"Just because it's a nice car, you know? It's a nice 2016 Mustang convertible. I had to record myself because it's the last day for the car," Jawad told necn.
The selfie video — obtained exclusively by necn — shows Jawad smoking and blasting music while driving. He looks back at the camera several times.
The footage ends before Jawad's interaction with police.
He was arrested after an officer on a work detail at Bowditch Field alerted other police to a swerving Mustang convertible with the top down.
The reporting officer said the driver appeared to hold a cellphone above the windshield and taking video as he drove.
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When the officer tried to stop the Mustang, Jawad swerved around him, nearly hitting the officer before speeding away, according to police.
Jawad told necn at first he didn't even realize police were after him.
"A police officer, I seen him like basically, you know, he's over there looking all confused and stuff, so I was like, 'It's none of my business, you know?' So I actually kept going," Jawad recalled.
He eventually stopped when an officer on a motorcycle pulled out in front of him, but police said Jawad refused to get out of the Mustang.
"They actually dragged me out of the car… handcuffed me, put me in the back, sit in the cell," he said.
Court records indicate Jawad admitted to taking the video, but denied ever crossing the center line.
Jawad said it was a mistake not to be paying enough attention to the road. His brother, who rented the car but was not in the vehicle at the time, agrees.
"Honestly, it’s a mistake because when you drive you should be concentrating on the road not like looking at videos, recording videos, whatever distracts you from driving," Jawad's brother told necn.
Jawad was issued citations and will have to appear in court.
