Victoria decided to give him another opportunity to explain himself.
VICTORIA HAYES: "I'm cooperating with you. I just want to know what's happening."
DANIEL COLE: "You don't give the orders here. Open the door!"
His voice carried across the roadside.
Victoria's expression changed from confusion to concern. She placed one hand near the door handle, but before she could open it herself, Cole reached for the door and pulled it outward.
The sudden movement startled her.
She turned toward him, trying to understand why he was behaving so aggressively.
DANIEL COLE: "Move! Get out!"
VICTORIA HAYES: "Wait. Why are you doing this?"
Cole did not answer.
He seized her arm and began pulling her toward the open doorway.
Victoria instinctively reached for the door frame to steady herself. One foot touched the gravel while the other remained near the floor of the vehicle.
The officer continued pulling.
Her shoulder twisted uncomfortably as she tried to stand without falling.
VICTORIA HAYES: "You're hurting me! Let go of my arm!"
DANIEL COLE: "Stop resisting!"
Victoria was attempting to regain her balance, but Cole treated every movement as defiance. He pulled her farther from the driver's seat until she was forced completely outside the vehicle.
Her shoes slipped slightly on the loose gravel.
She caught herself before falling, then turned toward him with disbelief written across her face.
The highway remained busy enough for distant vehicles to pass, yet the shoulder itself felt isolated. The sound of engines faded quickly, leaving the two of them beside the SUV beneath the open sky.
Victoria tried once more to obtain an explanation.
VICTORIA HAYES: "I pulled over as soon as you turned on your lights. I haven't done anything wrong!"
DANIEL COLE: "You need to learn when to keep your mouth shut."
His response shocked her.
Victoria stared at him, struggling to understand how a routine traffic stop had escalated so quickly. She had not threatened him. She had not attempted to drive away. She had stopped when instructed and had repeatedly asked for the reason behind his actions.
Now he was treating her as though asking a question were an offense.
She attempted to withdraw her arm from his grip.
Cole tightened his hold.
He moved her backward toward the side of the dark-blue SUV, forcing her to turn so that she remained close to the vehicle.
VICTORIA HAYES: "You're hurting me. You haven't even told me why you stopped me."
DANIEL COLE: "I don't have to explain myself to you every time I give an order."
VICTORIA HAYES: "I'm asking you to tell me what I did."
DANIEL COLE: "And I'm telling you to stop arguing."
His face was only a short distance from hers.
Victoria could see the tension in his jaw and the irritation in his eyes. He seemed offended by the fact that she continued speaking calmly instead of immediately accepting every command without question.
She realized that he was not simply impatient.
He wanted her to feel powerless.
The realization frightened her, but it also made her more attentive. She began watching the position of his hands, the direction of his movements, and the space between them.
Cole glanced briefly toward the road.
Then he leaned closer.
DANIEL COLE: "You think you can stand here and question me? You have no idea who you're dealing with."
Victoria swallowed and tried to keep her breathing steady.
VICTORIA HAYES: "I know you're a police officer. That's why I'm asking you to act like one."
For a moment, Cole said nothing.
His expression changed, and the silence that followed felt more threatening than his earlier shouting.
He appeared to have expected her to become frightened enough to stop challenging him. Instead, she had answered him directly.
His grip shifted toward her upper arm.
DANIEL COLE: "You want to make this difficult? Keep pushing me and see what happens."
VICTORIA HAYES: "I'm not making anything difficult. You're the one refusing to explain what's happening."
Cole looked toward the highway again.
Then his hand moved to the black conducted-energy weapon on his duty belt.
Victoria noticed immediately.
Her eyes followed his movement, and her body became tense.
She understood that the situation had become more dangerous. The officer had already used physical force to remove her from the vehicle, and now he was reaching for a weapon designed to incapacitate a person.
She stopped moving for a moment.
She needed to think clearly.
Cole drew the device and brought it close to her neck, using its presence to reinforce his threat. He did not discharge it, but the meaning of the gesture was unmistakable.
VICTORIA HAYES: "What are you doing? Put that away!"
DANIEL COLE: "One more word, and you'll regret it."
Victoria looked at the weapon, then back at his face.