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Sometimes, it's the smallest infractions that crack the biggest cases. Join us as we count down some of the most shocking crimes that were only uncovered thanks to routine traffic stops! From missing license plates to speeding violations, these seemingly mundane police procedures led to some truly jaw-dropping discoveries that changed the course of criminal justice history.
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00:00We noticed a pickup truck in the center lane.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be discussing 10 instances where otherwise standard police procedure resulted in major discoveries.
00:12When Hayward comes up to the car, he sees that the seat is out.
00:18Israel Keyes
00:19The life of Israel Keyes was unfortunately one with a history of trouble and trauma,
00:24with reports of violence and antisocial behavior dating all the way back to his early youth.
00:30It's hard to explain how he made me feel, but I felt unsafe being near him.
00:35The former Army serviceman killed at least three people prior to his arrest in 2012.
00:40Officers in the area of Lufkin, Texas, were admittedly on the lookout for an individual matching Keyes description,
00:47per a bulletin that had been released by case investigators.
00:49Then a short time later, a man comes out, he gets in the vehicle, and he starts to drive away.
00:55So when Keyes was stopped for driving over the speed limit, personnel on the scene uncovered stolen money,
01:01as well as an ATM card belonging to one of his victims, Samantha Koenig.
01:06He has a daughter, and you did that to somebody else's daughter.
01:10I don't understand.
01:11Mohammed Bilal El-Amin
01:13He spent nearly 30 years evading custody, yet it only took a routine traffic stop by Ossany County, Georgia deputies
01:20back in 2022 to nab Mohammed Bilal El-Amin.
01:24I'm not a criminal, I'm not a crook.
01:27This fugitive from justice was on the run after fleeing to avoid prosecution for the 1994 murder of Jafford Tucker.
01:34Authorities in Georgia were able to identify El-Amin after they initially brought him in for various driving infractions.
01:41Today was his worst day ever, and the greatest day for me in my family.
01:46The ultimate evidence of his true identity arrived after police booked him and took his fingerprints.
01:51It turned out that the man calling himself Reyes Sekem was wanted for murder.
01:56Sooner or later, you know, law enforcement's gonna continue to look until we find people.
02:01Bruce Allen Davis
02:02The police may not have detained serial killer Bruce Allen Davis for any traffic violations, but they did nab him
02:09while the criminal was doing something else illegal, namely, trying to steal a car.
02:14Davis was held firmly responsible for the deaths of at least three individuals, including a prison warden, at the time
02:20of his initial arrest.
02:21Witness accounts placed Davis' car near the scene, and forensic evidence linked him directly to the crime.
02:28However, Davis' prior life as a drifter also allegedly placed him within areas that were roughly analogous to other crimes
02:36he confessed to while in custody.
02:38These included the specific targeting of gay men within the areas of Washington, D.C. and New York City.
02:44Keary Moore
02:45Moore was one of multiple people involved in a shooting that left teenager Xavion Escobar dead on the evening of
02:51October 14, 2015.
02:53The former, who allegedly only drove the car on this night, initially cooperated with police, but changed his tune and
03:01refused to testify against other named individuals in the case.
03:05Moore was discovered during a routine traffic stop by police officers, and was initially sentenced to 8 and a third
03:11to 25 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder.
03:15This was despite the D.A. admitting to Moore that testifying against the actual shooter could have significantly lessened his
03:22sentence.
03:22Larry Eiler
03:23He was known as the interstate killer, or sometimes the highway killer, a man who preyed upon the gay male
03:29communities of Illinois and Indiana.
03:31Larry Eiler confessed to the murder.
03:33Eiler, himself a gay man, frequently targeted hitchhikers as well, and it was this sort of cruising that led to
03:39his first arrest by authorities, who picked up Eiler after a routine traffic stop.
03:44The victims of two separate knife attacks in 1978 and 1982 identified Eiler as their attacker.
03:50He was eventually convicted for multiple murders, including those of Daniel Bridges and Stephen Agan.
03:56I think Steve just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
04:00A posthumous confession added many more names to that list.
04:04Passing away from AIDS-related complications while on death row, Eiler is a chilling reminder of how vulnerable certain communities
04:11are.
04:12Stephanie Marie Binder
04:13The family of four siblings were likely relieved to find out that Stephanie Marie Binder ran a red light in
04:19a stolen van.
04:20I'm filled with all types of emotions.
04:22This illegal action prompted police to pursue Binder and pull her over.
04:26It was then up to the officers at the scene to use their intuition in order to surmise that something
04:32was off about the four children in the back seats.
04:34They began speaking with the driver, and noticeably, the body language of the driver was just off a bit.
04:40Further investigation revealed that Binder had actually abducted the children while the four were walking to school.
04:46This story thankfully had a happy ending, but it also speaks to the legitimacy of and efficacy of these sorts
04:52of stops for seemingly routine violations.
04:55The mother of those four kids, I asked her, how are her kids doing?
04:59She says, physically, they are fine, but they are still very upset about this entire situation.
05:06William Suff
05:07His name isn't one that's routinely mentioned amongst other higher-profile serial killers, but the violent pedigree of William Suff
05:14remains no less disturbing.
05:16Suff had already spent time in prison for the murder of his infant daughter back in 1974,
05:21but a release on parole in 1984 resulted in another, lengthier killing spree that lasted over five years.
05:29The modus operandi of targeting sex workers and later dumping their bodies in or around Lake Elsinore, California,
05:36eventually led to William Suff being known as the Lake Elsinore Killer.
05:40In 1991, a Riverside task force finally had the description of a man suspected of murdering at least 11 innocent
05:48women.
05:50But as police tried to close the net around the elusive killer...
05:54His reign of terror came to an end, however, after a routine traffic stop resulted in his being put behind
06:00bars for life.
06:01I think he was born with this tendency to violence and cruelty, and he actually had that within him,
06:09but so do a lot of people, and they don't act on it and they never do anything with it.
06:13Peter Sutcliffe
06:14He was a prolific British serial killer dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper,
06:18a brutal criminal who targeted women and young girls back in the mid-70s and into the early 80s.
06:25It had an enormous social effect on the country.
06:28Yet all it took was for police to stop Peter Sutcliffe on the evening of January 2, 1981,
06:34to discover the Yorkshire Ripper with yet another potential victim, sex worker Olivia Reavers.
06:39The officers had no idea they were about to arrest a man who'd murdered 13 women and evaded the authorities
06:47for over five years.
06:49Sutcliffe was brought into custody thanks to the false plates on this vehicle,
06:54while further searches of the scene came up with weapons he had hidden while being detained.
06:58He was given 20 concurrent life sentences, dying in prison in 2020.
07:03My attack did shape my life and my outlook.
07:07Ted Bundy
07:08It's unfortunately one of the most well-known names when it comes to the world of true crime and serial
07:14killers.
07:14In fact, his own attorney reportedly called him, quote, the definition of heartless evil.
07:20Ted Bundy confessed to 30 murders committed between 1974 and 1978,
07:25and it was due to the quick-thinking actions of a Utah Highway Patrol officer
07:30that Bundy was able to be apprehended on August 16, 1975.
07:34The killer notably sped away from the patrol car upon sight, leading officer Bob Hayward to follow in pursuit.
07:49Masks, weapons, trash bags, and some rope were found in Bundy's car.
07:53Although, authorities didn't have enough hard evidence to detain Bundy for long during this initial arrest.
07:59Bundy would be apprehended again on February 15, 1978, in Pensacola, Florida, for driving a stolen car.
08:07He would later be sentenced to death and executed in 1989.
08:10All he said is, I'd like you to give my love to my family and friends.
08:15That was Ted Bundy's last statement.
08:25Before we continue, check out this single from SoundMojo's Adia, Songs from Iran,
08:30reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock, metal, and pop songs.
08:34Check out the full track and album below.
08:51Joel Rifkin
08:52All it took was a missing license plate for Long Island state troopers to pull over Joel Rifkin,
08:58a serial killer who targeted sex workers.
09:00If he turned on the overhead lights, he actually hit the siren to let him know that we're behind him.
09:06Rifkin led those officers on a brief chase when they attempted to pull him over during the early hours of
09:11June 28, 1993.
09:13Those same officers discovered the body of Tiffany Bresciani after searching Rifkin's vehicle.
09:19Tiffany loved music and she loved Mozart.
09:24She just was very intuitive.
09:27Bresciani's boyfriend, David Rubenstein, was a member of the influential punk rock group, Reagan Youth.
09:33And it was his direct intervention in informing police the make and model of Rifkin's Mazda that likely contributed to
09:40his capture.
09:40We'd ask him, you know, how many have you done before?
09:44You seem like you've done this before.
09:45And he said 17.
09:47Rifkin was later convicted and sentenced to 203 years in prison for his crimes.
09:52Can you think of any other routine ways in which criminals were finally brought to justice?
09:57Let us know in the comments.
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