A 19-year-old Florida teen has been drawing millions of eyeballs as bodycam video of her arrest in Volusia County has gone viral on social media. One of the main reasons for the video’s popularity is the controversy it has caused.

Here’s the backstory. 19-year-old Tara Ashley Palmieri was arrested in New Smyrna Beach after she allegedly drove past an officer in a white 2024 Ford Mustang at high speed. The officer who tried to flag her down claims she almost hit him while he was investigating a hit-and-run. In her alleged haste, she drove into a marked no-passing zone and failed to slow or stop when the officer ordered her to do so.

Shortly after the incident, police tracked her car down, parked in a nearby neighborhood. When police questioned Palmieri at the home, she admitted she had seen the officer, but “kept going anyway.” She did, however, say that she didn’t realize he was a police officer.

At one point during the conversation, her father gets on the phone with her. The police officer informed him that he had a witness and bodycam footage backing up the allegations against his daughter. Her father then proceeded to scold her, calling her “arrogant” and warning her that she would “ruin her life over this stupidity.”

She was eventually charged with fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, a third-degree felony in Florida, and booked with a $2,500 bond. Her court date was scheduled for Dec. 3 (another reason the video has suddenly gained popularity).

A civil rights lawyer on social media claims she was arrested illegally

Tara Ashley Palmieri’s story has gone viral worldwide. Numerous social media posts that have gotten millions of views refer to her trying “to pull a Fast & Furious move.” Some French-language social media accounts have called her a “wannabe Dom Toretto.”

The viral video also caught the attention of civil rights attorney John H. Bryan. Bryan, who has 1.59 million subscribers on YouTube and over 16,000 followers on TikTok, took issue with both Palmieri’s arrest and her dad’s decision to throw her under the bus.

“I’m actually shocked at not only the behavior of the cop who was involved here, but also I’m shocked at the behavior of this so-called dad,” he said.

While disappointed in how the officer and the dad handled the situation, he also believes she shouldn’t have been arrested.

“One would think that when the actual prosecutor takes a look at this that he or she would come to their senses and dismiss these charges and not try to make this girl a convicted felon,” Bryan said, adding, “Especially in light of the fact that her arrest was illegal; that her statements were obtained illegally; not to mention the fact that I didn’t hear any Miranda rights being read.

“She was in custody. She was being asked questions, which elicited potentially incriminating information. All of this evidence against her should be thrown out.”

Check out his entire take on the matter below.