Police Officer and Teen Compete in Epic Dance-Off
The police officer and the student danced to "Whip/Nae Nae."
— -- The song “Watch me (Whip/Nae Nae)" saved the day.
A police officer in Washington, D.C., approached two groups of teens in the middle of a confrontation on K Street SW, and asked the teens to leave. Aaliyah Taylor, one of the teens, responded by challenging the cop to a dance-off.
The officer proposed a deal: if Taylor won the dance-off, the teenagers would get to stay on the street. If she won, the teens would have to go.
What happened next was an impressive show of moves.
“No one was worried about the argument anymore,” Taylor said. “The neighborhood was getting crowded…the attention was on us. Everyone was just looking at us.”
After about two minutes, everyone went home, according to Taylor, who added that she thinks the dance-off was a tie. She said the officer's moves had left her "speechless."
On Monday, Taylor posted a video of the ordeal on Facebook. The video has since gone viral, with more than 4,000 Facebook shares in two days.
"I never thought it would go popular," the high school senior said.
The officer in the video declined to comment about the incident. The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia said it "had nothing to add."
But Marinos Marinos of the DC Police Union said he's not surprised at the officer's behavior.
“We are trained to always be courteous but stuff like that, that's stuff you can't teach. [The officer] was very professional but very fun at the same time,” Marinos said. "I don't think she realized this was going to turn into a national phenomenon. I told her she should embrace it."
Taylor's video also made it up to Kevin Donahue, the District's deputy mayor for public safety, who praised the officer.
Since the video was posted, Taylor has even been approached by a dance company asking to record a new video of her and the officer. Taylor, who had not seen the officer before Monday and doesn't know her name, said she still can't believe she danced with the police.
"There are good cops and bad cops, and I don't think all cops are bad, but I never thought I'd dance with a cop," she said. "I didn’t even know cops could be that fun."
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