police_minivan.JPG

Screenshot from the dash cam of a New Mexico police vehicle as an officer fires shots at a fleeing minivan.

(screengrab from YouTube video)

Two New Mexico police officers are under investigation after a traffic stop got out of hand last month, resulting in one of the officers firing his weapon at a minivan full of children.

The chaotic scene on Oct. 28 was captured on a dash cam in one of a police vehicle. KRQE News released the video on Friday, which begins with a simple traffic stop for a minivan going 71 mph in a 55 mph zone.

The driver, Oriana Ferrell, 39, of Memphis, Tenn., argued with the officer, unable to decide whether to contest or pay the $126 ticket. The officer returned to his car, instructing her to turn the vehicle off, but instead, she drove away, forcing the officer to pull her over again.

The officer yelled for Ferrell to get out of the vehicle, and even reached inside to try to pull her out while children inside the vehicle were screaming. Her 14-year-old son got out and tried to rush the officer, who pulled a taser on the boy.

Farrell finally got out to speak with the officer, only to run back to the vehicle when she realized he was going to arrest her.

Backup arrived as the officer began smashing the windows of the minivan with his baton. Ferrell began driving the van full of five 6- to 18-year-old children away again, but not before one officer fired three shots at her departing vehicle.

She led police on a chase into Taos, N.M., before surrendering to police in front of a hotel, where she and her 14-year-old son were arrested.

Watch the full video from ABC News:

Fox News reported Ferrell faces charges of child abuse, fleeing and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia for a pair of marijuana pipes found in the van. Her son faces charges of battery of an officer.

NBC News spoke to one expert who raised some concerns about the situation.

"I would be asking a lot of questions about the window smash -- what's he trying to accomplish there? And the gunfire -- what's he trying to accomplish there?" asked Greg Meyer, a retired police captain and expert on the use of force. "Until we know why, it's difficult to judge thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the reasonableness of what happened here."

The New Mexico state police chief, Pete Kassetas, said the incident was "an intense, 43-minute-long, dangerous situation that placed the public at risk."

A police account said the officer firing the gun was trying to prevent the vehicle from leaving, but Ferrell's attorney, Alan Maestas, said the officer's actions were unjustified, according to The Taos News.

"She was flat-out scared that something was going to happen to her children," Maestas told the court. "We ought to talk about the stupidity and recklessness of shooting at a car that has five children in it."

CBS News correspondent John Miller identified some other problems with the situation:

Miller thinks the case against Ferrell is likely to go nowhere in court. Ferrell has been released on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Her son has also been released.

Watch Miller's full video commentary:

Thoughts on this news? Leave a comment below.