Body camera footage released of Stanislaus deputy's use of force during traffic stop

Yahoo

08-04-2025

Body-worn camera footage of a Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office deputy using force during a traffic stop was released Monday evening.
Cell-phone footage taken at the scene made its rounds on social media last week — sparking criticism of the deputy's use of force. The cell-phone footage was taken partway through the traffic stop.
The first section of the released body camera footage begins with Deputy Alexander Helms approaching Joshua Rhodes' car and ends with Helms taking Rhodes to the ground and placing him in handcuffs.
A second section shows what happened as Rhodes and Helms were leaving a hospital. During this portion, Rhodes says to the deputy, 'I legally challenge you to a fight. Do you accept?' and 'You punched me in my face, now I wanna punch you in your face.'
Rhodes was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest by force, delaying or obstructing a peace officer and battery on a peace officer. Rhodes' passenger, Elliana Barraza — who filmed the cell phone footage that circulated online — was arrested on suspicion of delaying and obstructing a peace officer.
Helms pulled over Rhodes for not stopping at a red light, according to the Sheriff's Office. The released video shows Rhodes approaching the driver-side window of Rhodes' red Audi just after midnight April 1 on C Street in Patterson.
Text at the beginning of the video states that Rhodes did not immediately pull over but continued driving, briefly stopped and then made a U-turn on Sixth Street before stopping on C Street. The released video does not explicitly show this. It does show Helm's flashing his lights and signaling his siren for a few seconds before exiting his patrol vehicle.
Helms then approaches Rhodes' car, tells him why he pulled him over and asked for Rhodes' license, registration and proof of insurance. Rhodes doesn't say anything but hands Helms his driver's license.
Things became tense early in the exchange when Helms asks Rhodes for his address. Rhodes tells Helms, but the deputy can't hear him and asks him to speak up. A back-and-forth occurs before Helms tells Rhodes, 'I don't understand why you have an attitude right now.' Much of what Rhodes says in the video is unintelligible.
When Helms asks if Rhodes is on probation or parole, Rhodes tells him, 'You can look up all of that.'
Helms responds, 'Look, this can either go one of two ways. One is you can just be respectful and we can move on with our business.' There's a back and forth before Rhodes tells Helms, 'Why can't you do your job?' Helms responds, 'I am going to.'
Helms then asks Barraza for her ID. Sgt. Nate Crain, a training sergeant for the Sheriff's Office's academy and spokesperson for the agency, said this was because Barraza was not wearing her seat-belt when Helms first saw her. Barraza tells Helms she did not have her ID on her. Rhodes again tells Helms, 'Do your job' and requests that the deputy call his supervisor. Helms declines.
Rhodes then calls 911 on his cell phone, to which Helms responds, 'Are you really calling 911 right now?' Rhodes tells the 911 operator he's calling because 'I don't feel safe.' Helms tells Rhodes, 'Hang up your phone or I'm placing you under arrest.'
Helms repeatedly demands Rhodes exit his vehicle, which the driver refuses to do. Eventually, Helms tries to open the door of the car and pull out the driver. At one point during a struggle, Rhodes grabs Helms' arm.
Helms appears to strikes Rhodes a few times in the face. Eventually, Helms pulls out his Taser and deploys it, appearing to hit Rhodes and Barraza. After that, Helms pulls out his gun and points it at Rhodes. Once backup arrives, Rhodes is pulled out of the car, taken to the ground and put in handcuffs.
Backlash in the form of social media comments and a statement submitted to The Bee came as a reaction to a the initial footage of the traffic stop that was posted online. In the statement, Bianca Lopez of Valley Improvement Projects criticizes the deputy's actions during the stop and a Patterson Police Services press release that advised citizens to 'Be Polite and Respectful' during a traffic stop.
Crain said Rhodes' 'general lack of respect or civility' contributed to what happened and that 'your general demeanor goes a long way' when interacting with law enforcement.
'These types of encounters are difficult for us to be a part of and we simply ask that when you are pulled over by a deputy, recognize that the traffic stop itself is not the time or the place to argue,' Crain said. 'Your rights to due process come in a court of law in front of a judge.'
Crain said he could not speak on behalf of Helms or what Helms' rationale was for his actions, but he said, 'We can all act civilly in those encounters and give the information that's it's asked for.' Crain added that having to ask a person multiple times for information, such as someone's home address, can make a situation more difficult.
'It was stated, 'I'm asking you a simple question. I'm just looking for a simple answer.' And the response is, 'Well, go do your job' ... I think you could agree that that's just not proper etiquette in a civilized society, and when we're trying to have a civil conversation.'
Crain said that following a use-of-force incident, experts on the subject are brought in 'to ensure that our deputy properly interpreted and evaluated law and policy ... so that we can ensure that if there is an improper application of law.'
After that is done, the Sheriff's Office has the option to retrain Helms if it so chooses. Internal affairs investigators will examine whether Helms followed policy, said Crain.