Police in Texas have pulled over
George Zimmerman for speeding and then the man acquitted in one of America's
most controversial trials in years alerted the officer that he had a gun in his glove compartment.
Zimmerman, who was acquitted by a
Florida jury two weeks ago for the death of Trayvon Martin, was stopped at
12:47 p.m. on Sunday on Highway 80 by a Forney, Texas.
In dash cam video obtained by ABC
News the officer can be heard asking the former neighborhood watch captain,
"Where you headed?"
Zimmerman responded,
"Nowhere in particular," and then asks the officer if he noticed the
name of the driver's license.
The officer responded "What
a coincidence," and later is heard telling Zimmerman that he can shut the
glove compartment that was holding the firearm.
After Zimmerman was checked for
any outstanding warrants he was let go with a verbal warning.
A member of his defense team
tells ABC News he is apparently on a road trip and that he recently notified
his team that he would be spending time away.
Zimmerman's lawyer Mark O'Mara
told ABC News, that his client is taking time off but asked "that people
respect his privacy."
His brother Robert Zimmerman also
commented about the incident on twitter saying "heavy foot…nothing
more."
In a brief statement on Twitter
his legal team said, "For his safety, we won't make any comments about
Zimmerman's whereabouts, and we will work to protect his privacy."
Zimmerman has been the target of death threats even before his acquittal.
Zimmerman, 29, has a concealed
carry permit in Florida that was re-instated after the trial, making him
legally entitled to transport and possess a weapon in Texas and most states.
According to dash cam pictures of the incident Zimmerman appeared to be driving
in the same Honda pickup used the night he spotted Martin.
In the days after his acquittal
his lead attorney Mark O'Mara said that Zimmerman had no regrets about carrying
a gun on Feb 26, 2012 the night he killed Martin and that Zimmerman intended to
rearm himself and "needs it now more than ever."
"There are a lot of people
out there who actually hate him, though they shouldn't," said O'Mara who
said Zimmerman may need to protect himself from potential outside threats.
The gun he used in the Martin
shooting was not returned to him after the trial because federal investigators
began their own probe and asked that all the evidence, including the weapon, be
sent to them.
This is the second time the
former neighborhood watch captain has surfaced since the trial. The Seminole
County Sherriff's Office said on July 18 Zimmerman was one of two men who came
to the aid of a family who became trapped inside their Ford Explorer after it rolled over on the side of
the highway.
According to the sheriff's office
by the time police arrived, two people – including Zimmerman – helped the
family get out of the overturned car.
Meantime, the family of slain
Florida teenager Trayvon Martin have promised to pressure legislators to repeal
or overhaul "stand your ground" self defense laws starting in
Florida.
Zimmerman had claimed he killed
Martin in self-defense although he did not invoke the controversial law during
his trial.
Monday, Martins mother Sybrina
Fulton said "We have to change the law so that this doesn't happen to
someone else's child…My son wasn't doing anything wrong. He was simply walking
home."
Florida
Gov. Rick Scott has resisted calls for a special session aimed at repealing the
law.
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