OCALA, Fla. – Ocala police celebrated the holiday season with a surprise during a traffic stop, according to the police department on Friday evening.
Police said that officers recently pulled over drivers for traffic stops — but instead of writing a citation, the officers instead gave each driver a $100 bill.
Video released on Friday shows some of these encounters, including one traffic stop where a woman reportedly drove past a stop sign without stopping.
“I’m not here to write you tickets. Nothing like that,” the officer says. “But I do want to give you an early Christmas present.”
The officer can then be seen pulling out the $100 bill before handing it to the woman.
“This is the best experience I’ve ever had with police before,” she says.
[WATCH THE VIDEO BY CLICKING IN THE MEDIA VIEWER BELOW]
During another encounter, a driver can be heard telling an officer that she ran out of gas on the roadway, adding that she didn’t have money to buy more.
In response, the officer handed her a $100 bill to buy more fuel.
“We don’t want you in your car, run out of gas around Christmas time,” the officer says. “So will this get you gas and something to eat?”
In total, officers gave out cash to 20 individuals, and the money used was donated to the police department anonymously, department officials explained.
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