An Iowa college student whose YouTube video of a police traffic stop generated 1.6 million views is now suing the city of Newton for false arrest.
The video shows Winters subjecting Galanakis to a variety of field sobriety tests. The lawsuit alleges Winters falsely claimed Galanakis performed poorly on the tests, although, the lawsuit claims, the police body-camera video shows otherwise.
Winters allegedly told Galanakis he had sufficient cause to arrest him based on his inability to find his registration, his bloodshot eyes and the field tests. Galanakis asked for a breath test which, when administered, showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.00, according to the lawsuit.
Galanakis was taken to the Newton Police Station where he agreed to drug recognition test and urine test. According to the lawsuit, the department’s drug recognition expert administered the tests and at 2 a.m. concluded Galanakis was not intoxicated or showing any signs of drug or alcohol use. Galanakis then asked to speak to Winters, who “remained defiant” and refused to apologize, according to the lawsuit.