A West Virginia man has filed a federal lawsuit against two police officers, alleging they violated his constitutional rights after arresting him for making a crude hand gesture during a traffic stop. Corey Lambert, who was pulled over in Martinsburg last year, argues that his First and Fourth Amendment rights were infringed when officers detained him in retaliation for flipping them the middle finger. The incident, captured on body camera footage, has raised concerns about law enforcement’s handling of free speech and the limits of police authority.
The encounter took place on February 10, 2023, when Lambert passed a police cruiser and extended his middle finger to the officers inside. Moments later, officers Coby Engle and Jose Boursiquot initiated a traffic stop. Bodycam footage shows Engle questioning Lambert about his gesture before demanding his license, registration, and proof of insurance. When Lambert hesitated and asked whether he was being pulled over for the hand signal, Boursiquot warned him that failure to comply would result in arrest. Within moments, the officers forcibly removed Lambert from his truck, handcuffed him, and placed him in a police cruiser without providing a clear reason for his arrest.
Lambert was booked into jail, where he spent three days on a $1,211 cash bond. His charges included improper hand and arm signals, two counts of obstructing police, and failure to provide proof of insurance. According to West Virginia law, motorists must use correct hand signals when turn signals are not in use, but Engle’s police report acknowledged that Lambert’s gesture was not intended to indicate his direction of travel. Instead, the officer determined that the middle finger constituted a municipal violation—an interpretation Lambert’s lawsuit challenges as a retaliatory abuse of power.
The lawsuit also accuses the city of Martinsburg of enabling unconstitutional policing practices by allowing officers to detain individuals without reasonable suspicion and in retaliation for protected speech. In response, the city issued a statement acknowledging the incident and confirming plans to provide additional training to its officers but declined to comment on the specifics of the case. Attorney John H. Bryan, who is representing Lambert, has been vocal about police misconduct and constitutional violations, covering Lambert’s case on his Civil Rights Lawyer YouTube channel.
Legal experts say the case highlights broader concerns about police overreach and the protection of free speech. Lambert, who lost his job as a truck driver due to his incarceration, contends that his arrest was an unjustified attempt to punish him for exercising his rights. As the lawsuit moves forward, it may test the boundaries of what law enforcement can lawfully consider grounds for a traffic stop and subsequent arrest.
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