Georgia police officer surprises his girlfriend with a proposal at traffic stop with the help of fellow officers
When Alexis McCart from Georgia was pulled over by Lawrenceville Police officer Michael Peterson on Tuesday afternoon she had no idea what wrong she had done. Traveling along with her friends, she was anxious about the stop, but soon it turned into a pleasant surprise when she realized what her boyfriend had planned for her.
DeKalb County Police Department Officer John Heart had decided to surprise his girlfriend by proposing to her during a traffic stop.
According to Gwinnett Daily Post, McCart said, "I was so nervous; I didn’t know what was going on. Then (Peterson) got us (herself and the friends) out of the car, and I was like, ‘Why is he doing this? What is going on?’ I turned around and there he (Heart) was, and I just started bawling. I was in such shock — you can tell by the picture. I literally had no clue."
Heart revealed that the plan to surprise his girlfriend was a last minute one, aided by Peterson and another Lawrenceville Police Department officer, Patrick Rose.
He said, "I was bouncing between three different options, but it was Patrick who really gave me the idea. The main problem was Lexi was not going to be driving — her friend was — so we had to figure out how to make that workout. It was also a matter of me getting off work in time, but I just left an hour early and got to Lawrenceville as fast as possible."
McCart's friends also delayed her as much as possible before she returned home to ensure that Heart could make it in time for the proposal.
He added, "They were just trying to delay everything, because she was just ready to get back home. But I get to Lawrenceville, I get to the police station and hop in Patrick’s Mustang and he takes me to the spot where she’s supposed to get pulled over. At that time, we’re sitting there waiting, I’m anticipating it and nervous as all get-out, and I finally see the blue lights come on and it’s her car and her friend’s driving it. (Peterson) made the traffic stop, and was eventually able to get everyone out of the car, including Lexi."
Technically, it is not required for passengers to step out of their cars on a regular traffic stop so Peterson had to be creative. He pretended that the police were looking for suspects who had earlier been at a Walmart.
McCart also said that she knew something was off from the way Peterson asked them to step out.
She said, "Then he got us out of the car and asked, ‘Who’s Ms. McCart’ and I was like, ‘How do you even know my name?’ Then he was like, ‘Well anyways, happy birthday’ — my birthday was Monday — and I was just so confused.”
McCart's friend handed her the birthday present which was addressed to "Mrs. Alexis Heart," and when she turned around, Heart was on one knee.
She accepted the proposal but said that the couple doesn't have a date set yet, but hope that they could tie the knot on October 4, which would be a play on police code for 'You Got it' - 10-4.
"I definitely want to do a fall wedding, and with football we can’t get married on Saturday. So I was thinking about Sunday and how cute would it be to do 10/4," McCart said.