Cleveland Heights Police Car

Cleveland Heights resident Samuel Taylor says a police officer pulled a gun on his as he rushed home to tend to his pregnant wife.

(Northeast Ohio Media Group file photo)

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio – Samuel Taylor sped home Friday morning after his pregnant wife called to say their child was on the way. Before he could reach her, a Cleveland Heights police officer stopped Taylor for speeding and pulled his pistol on the panicked father-to-be.

"I was literally about six or seven houses from my home," Taylor said.

Taylor – who admits that he was speeding – said he believes the officer was too aggressive by pulling out his gun.

Cleveland Heights Officer William Robinson tried to stop Taylor's station wagon – complete with two car seats and a "Baby on board" window sticker – about 7:20 a.m. as he sped down Coventry Road at 38 mph in the 25 mph zone. Taylor's wife, Katie, was near her due date and had a high-risk pregnancy.

Taylor slowed down, turned on his hazard lights and turned onto his block in the 2600 block of Edgehill Road. Several cars blocked street parking, so he did not stop until he reached his home.

"I froze. I did not know what to do or where to stop. I was afraid," Taylor said.

Robinson barreled from his squad car with his gun drawn, said Taylor, chief operating officer of DuneCraft, a company that makes and sells science projects.

"Officer Robinson approached me yelling at me to put my hands up and holding me at gunpoint as if I was threatening his life," Taylor said. "His finger was on the trigger," he said.

He begged Robinson to let him check on his wife, whose pregnancy suffered numerous complications.

"'Please let me go inside. You can follow me; just holster your weapon,'" Taylor said.

Taylor tried to reason with the officer for 20 minutes, he said. He repeatedly asked the officer why he was pulled over and received no answer.

Robinson searched Taylor and told him to stay in his car. Taylor called the Cleveland Heights Police Department. A lieutenant threatened him with a felony charge.

Robinson approached the Taylor home with his gun, when Taylor's wife opened the door in tears.

"My wife said, 'I need my husband to come here,'" Taylor said. "'I'm going into labor. Please tell me what is going on. I need help.'"

Taylor was handed a speeding ticket and a failure to yield for an emergency vehicle citation.

Katie Taylor was hospitalized with complications related to her pregnancy.

Cleveland Heights Police Chief Jeffrey Robertson is on vacation and did not return calls for comment. Cleveland Heights City Manager Tanisha Briley said that the city believes that Robinson acted appropriately.

"We're aware of the incident and complaint by the driver and the matter is currently under review," Briley said. "Upon initial review we are comfortable that the officer followed CHPD protocol appropriately and he conducted himself in a professional manner."

How police officers interact with the public has become a critical issue in cities across the country.

High-profile cases such as a suburban St. Louis, Missouri police officer shooting and killing an unarmed Michael Brown, and the choking death of Staten Island resident Eric Garner spurred a wave of protests and national unrest.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice released a 58-page report criticizing Cleveland Division of Police's use-of-force tactics. Among the numerous issues raised in the findings, the Justice Department criticized several instances where officers drew their weapons too fast or in situations where other methods to diffuse a situation were more appropriate.

Taylor said he is considering filing a civil lawsuit.

"I get that I should have pulled over sooner," Taylor said. "But he shouldn't have escalated the situation; he should have de-escalated the situation."