Police officer ticketed him despite dashcam video confirming he wore a seat belt. When the court date arrived, the officer never showed up
Justin Mo did not get the results he wanted but knew the truth
Traffic citations are usually based on an officer's observations, but it can get a little tricky when the driver says they have evidence otherwise. On February 9, 2025, Justin Mo (@carsbyjmo) shared a video where SJPD Officer Fihussein Elie wrongfully accused him of not wearing a seatbelt. Mo insisted that he was, and even claimed he had proof on his dashcam footage, but Elie refused to listen and gave him three tickets. Months later, when it was time to appear in court, the case was dismissed because Officer Elie was nowhere to be seen. The first video Mo shared received 33.5 million views, 1 million likes, and 6,525 comments.
Three wrong tickets
The three tickets Mo got were for not wearing a seatbelt, a state ref ticket, and for his front plate. Mo also said Elie implied that he illegally smogged his car, which was why he got towed, even though his car was "bone stock." On June 17, 2025, he shared an update that the case was dismissed because Officer Elie failed to show up. Furthermore, Mo asked the judge if he could be compensated for the towing expenses he had to pay himself, and put Officer Elie on the Brady list. The judge said it was not his place to give him advice but told Mo to talk to the police department regarding his questions. Mo did just that.
Not the outcome he wanted
Mo brought in all the evidence he had against Officer Elie. After almost a year of fighting for his rights, he received a letter from the SJPD. It read, "A disposition of exoneration has been reached. The disposition of exonerated means the acts which provided the basis for the complaint or allegation occurred; however, they were justified, lawful, and proper." In simple terms, the police department did the investigation and found that there was no wrongdoing. Mo was disappointed with the results, but he was grateful to his followers for supporting him throughout the year.
Racial profiling
Just because police officers are tasked with enforcing the law does not mean they are always right. A 2020 Gallup survey found that 41% of American adults had been treated unfairly by the police. Going by race, the majority of people mistreated by the police were Black adults (71%), followed by Asians (51%), Hispanics (48%), and White adults (34%). Mo also shared in the caption that it was not the first time he had had a "profiling encounter" with the SJPD. The previous one was less than a week ago (on February 9, 2025).
Sue the police
People were telling Mo to keep fighting and not give up just yet. @antistate wrote, "Don't stop or he will keep doing it! You got money? Fight it for someone else." @tacticalathlete advised, "Get in contact with someone from Internal Affairs or reach out to the DA."
You can follow Justin Mo (@carsbyjmo) on Instagram for more lifestyle and car-related content.
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