When a Washington, D.C., cop tried to break up a group of hostile teens, they expected an argument – not a dance battle.
Aaliyah Taylor, 17, approached the officer as "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" played on her cell phone, and started to dance. According to Taylor, the officer laughed and challenged her to a dance-off.
The Ballou High School senior posted a video of their impromptu dance battle on Facebook:
After Taylor and the officer both declared themselves winners, the pair hugged and the teens left the area.
The positive interaction comes at a time when there has been increased tension between police and the communities they patrol.
“Instead of us fighting, she tried to turn it around and make it something fun,” Taylor said. “I never expected cops to be that cool. There are some good cops.”
Washington, D.C., Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kevin Donahue tweeted a link to Taylor's Facebook post, saying, "While I'm not an expert on the dance moves in this video, this is great example of community policing by MPD."
Secretary of the D.C. police union, Marinos Marinos, told The Washington Post that personal interactions like this between police officers and residents are more common than they seem.
“We are humans just like everyone else,” Marinos said. “Every day we come in contact with thousands of citizens and almost all of them have positive outcomes.”