Two women rescued a turtle and moved it safely off the road. But the good deed ended with a police ticket 30 seconds later

Two young women in St. Peters stopped their car to help a turtle cross a busy road, only to be pulled over by a police officer moments later. A video of the rescue, posted by TikTok user Ell In Real Life (@ellenjaz17), has been viewed 3.5 million times and gained more than 158,000 likes.

The video shows a woman in a black t-shirt bending down to pick up the turtle from a two-lane paved road. Another woman in a neon green shirt stands nearby watching. After picking up the turtle, the woman carries it to the grassy area beside the road and sets it down safely among the plants.

The clip was filmed near Cottle Village in St. Peters. Text on the TikTok video reads, “When you save a turtle from being ran over, then 30 seconds later you get a ticket. The cop was watching us the entire time.”

The creator explains why she chose not to film the officer

In a follow-up TikTok video responding to a viewer’s question, the creator explained more about what happened after the rescue. She said she did not record her conversation with the police officer and explained her reasoning.

She said she initially expected a positive reaction from the officer. “I originally thought he was pulling us over to congratulate us, be supportive, something along those lines, because again, he was watching us move the turtle,” she said. But she said the encounter turned out differently. “Instead, it turned into a very negative encounter for no reason at all. His attitude was just unwarranted,” she said.

She explained that the officer’s behavior made her decide against filming him. “Once I saw his demeanor and how he was acting towards me, I didn’t feel that it was the best option to record him because I felt like that could escalate things, and my kids were in the car, and it just wasn’t worth it,” she said.

Instead, she said she chose to stay calm during the interaction. “I just met his negativity with kindness, even thanked him for the ticket. Thank you, you have a great day,” she said. She explained that arguing did not seem like a useful option. “Me arguing with him wasn’t going to get me anywhere, and they can do a lot more than a regular civilian can,” she said.

She said she has since hired a lawyer to look into the ticket. “I just did the best option I could and called a lawyer, hired him same day. He has the video, he has everything, and he’s working behind the scenes to figure out why this officer was acting that way, why he would give us a ticket, and all these other things,” she said.

The follow-up video also included a comment from a viewer, shown as a speech bubble on screen, which read, “Don’t pay the ticket and go to court. You were removing a road hazard and the police officer should have been doing their job and helping you or putting on his lights or in the middle of the road.”

The original video sparked a large reaction in the comments section, with many viewers offering support and legal opinions. One commenter wrote, “Go to court and make sure you call every craze animal support group to be outside the court house.” Another commenter said, “This is perfect video evidence for court when you fight the ticket. Any judge with throw this out.” A third comment read, “If I was a lawyer I’d volunteer to rep you because WHAT!”

Some commenters focused on the type of turtle shown in the video. One wrote, “How dare she try and help a nearly extinct animal not become extinct! give her 5 tickets.” Another commenter claimed the animal was a protected species, writing, “Yea that’s called a gopher tortoise and they’re endangered and a fine of 10k for touching them be happy all you got was the ticket.”

Other viewers questioned the situation on the road itself. One commenter asked, “Is the traffic in the room with us? Cus I don’t see any cars.” Disputes over police tickets for good deeds are not uncommon, such as when a woman claimed an officer gave her a ticket after she left her car for a minute. 

The exact reason for the ticket has not been confirmed. The creator has not shared further updates on what her lawyer has found regarding the officer’s actions or the specific violation cited. This approach of meeting authority with calmness is not universal, as a Pennsylvania officer told a teen its warm day to be wearing that jacket, and the stop ended with him in handcuffs.