Attorney for fired Orlando police officer releases video of traffic stop

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando police officer who claimed his co-workers racially profiled him during a traffic stop has lost his job after an internal investigation.

The attorney for Janir Sims, the fired officer, released video Tuesday that shows the traffic stop connected to Sims' termination.

The traffic stop in December 2013 prompted Sims to file an internal complaint, which was eventually dismissed. In the complaint he alleged he was racially profiled by two fellow officers when he was pulled over at Michigan Street and Delany Avenue.

Video of the incident was captured by a camera on a tow truck. The tow truck driver, Antonio Volta, witnessed the traffic stop and gave a statement to investigating officers.

"He was going off, I mean, it was so loud. I'm in a diesel going down Orange Avenue and I heard this guy going nuts on the officers," Volta said to officers in the recording.

Volta said he heard Sims using racial slurs towards the officers who pulled him over.

"When I heard, you know, 'crackers,' and you know, 'beat me like Rodney King,' if there's something I can ever do to back up an officer," Volta said in the video.

During the internal investigation, police department officials said they discovered Sims intimidated Volta after learning he had video of the incident. According to the investigative report, Sims called Volta and showed up at his business dressed in camouflage, where Volta was afraid to answer the door.

Sims said he wasn't intimidating the witness but instead was trying to follow up on his racial profiling claims against the officers. In the report investigators concluded that "Officer Sims' actions intimidated and placed a key witness in fear for his life."

"Do you feel you were trying to get him to change his story?" reporter Renee Stoll asked Sims over the phone.

Sims referred to the internal investigation report and said he stands by his statements.

Police officials said Sims was terminated for intimidating the witness and his behavior during the actual traffic stop is a separate case that's still under investigation.

WFTV