PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A Palm Beach County deputy pulled over a Lake Worth woman for allegedly holding her phone in her right hand while driving. There was just one problem — she was born without a right hand.
The traffic stop involving Katie Thomas has gone viral on social media, generating 110 million views.
WATCH BELOW: Woman born without right hand goes viral after traffic stop
Body camera footage from the stop shows the deputy telling Thomas what he observed.
"You drove past me, holding the phone with your right hand, manipulating that phone. I mean, I saw you," the deputy said.
Thomas responded by raising her arm to show her stump.
The exchange continued when the deputy pressed further.
"Did you or not have your phone in your hand?" the deputy said.
"I did not," Thomas replied.
"You did not have your phone in your hand. Hand to God, you did not have your phone in your hand," the deputy said.
"Hand to God," Thomas replied.
"The other hand to God, you don't have a phone in your hand?" the deputy said.
"Hand to God," Thomas replied.
Thomas was born without her right hand and has spent her life as an adaptive athlete, raising awareness for the limb-difference community. She told me going viral was something she had hoped would happen eventually — but not like this.
"Literally being accused of something that I did not have a limb to be accused. I think that's what's probably one of the most captivating things about the whole thing, is that it was immediate, immediately apparent to 110 million people, that what he claims he saw was impossible," Thomas said.
The citation did not last long. The case was dropped for lack of evidence.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office provided a statement that reads:
An agency review of the case is underway.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is committed to enforcing Florida traffic laws in an effort to keep our roadways safe for all motorists. Deputies are authorized under Florida law to issue citations when they observe what they reasonably believe to be a violation involving the use of a handheld wireless device while operating a motor vehicle.
In this particular case, the deputy initiated a traffic stop based upon his visual observation at the time of the incident. After additional review of the Florida State Statutes involved and based upon the totality of the circumstances, specifically the lack of clarity on how violations are labeled in our citation software, the decision was ultimately made to dismiss based upon the difference in wording between Florida State Statutes 316.305 and 316.306.
Law enforcement officers are required to make decisions based on observations made in real time. As with any enforcement action, motorists have the right to contest citations through the judicial process, where all facts and evidence can be fully evaluated.
PBSO remains committed to professionalism, fairness, and the lawful enforcement of Florida statutes.
The body-worn camera video has been released, along with the deputy's in-car video that provided visual observation at the time of the incident.
Thomas said she harbors no ill will against the sheriff's office and would be open to a conversation about using the moment to spread awareness about the limb difference community. She has also started selling "Hand to God" merchandise on her Instagram, with proceeds benefiting a well-known children's hospital.
"We're donating a portion of the proceeds from each item that's bought directly to the Shriners Children's Hospital. I've had several businesses reach out and want to match the donations for that as well. So, there's a ton of good that's coming from this, so I choose to look at it that way," Thomas said.
Thomas said she has no plans to sue and hopes the attention helps people better understand the limb difference community.
"So I choose joy," Thomas said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
