A resentful upstate New York police officer physically arrested a Black man last year after he honked his horn at him when the light turned green and the officer refused to move. Troy police officer Taylor Gamache accused the person of unlawfully using a horn, resisting arrest, and disrupting governmental administration. In the end, these retaliatory accusations were abandoned.
Earlier this month, Matthew N. Edwards filed a lawsuit against the condescending police officer, claiming that he had violated many fundamental rights and committed assault, violence, wrongful arrest, malicious prosecution, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
According to the body camera footage from the arrest, which is provided below, Gamache also seized Edwards’ vehicle for parking in front of his residence more than 12 inches from the curb.
Upon arriving, Edwards saw that his parking space was blocked by two trash cans. He shifted the cans to the side of his house after getting out of his automobile to park them properly. But instead of giving him a chance, Gamache persisted on arresting him for perhaps texting, which is against the law in New York, and for daring to blast the horn at him while he was seated at the signal.
According to the lawsuit Arthur R. Frost, a Troy-based lawyer, filed on July 3:
Plaintiff suffered severe physical harm as a result of Defendant Gamache’s actions as previously mentioned, which caused him to become ill, sore, lame, wounded, disabled, disordered, embarrassed, emotionally distraught, and disfigured, and he will remain so for the rest of his life; he has been and will continue to be unable to perform his regular duties; he has lost lifetime earnings; he has incurred costs for care and treatment, among other things; he has suffered pain; and he will continue to suffer harm from permanent external, internal, and other injuries.
On July 19, 2024, Gamache was at an intersection waiting for a red light to turn green when the incident happened. Edwards was in the car behind him as he drove home from work. In order to notify the police that the light was green, he honked his horn, which is a legal activity.
FYI, an arrest and stop Troy, New York, is in the news. Matthew Edwards was stopped by Officer Taylor Gamache for blasting his horn. Although the stop was likely bad, people cannot simply refuse to be stopped. The proper procedure is to file a complaint after going through the process.Twitter: pic.twitter.com/nS1sEBLmco
July 30, 2025: The Raven’s Call (@astheravencalls)
However, after turning left through the intersection and seeing that Edwards continued straight through it, Gamache allegedly went around the neighborhood to find Edwards already parked at home to get back with him for blaring his horn at him.
“This is harassment,” Gamache said as he drew up in front of Edwards’ residence. Do you know the definition of harassment? The policeman who had gaslighted him answered. There is no harassment there. I did not conduct a crime, Edwards insisted, and he repeatedly asked Gamache to send a supervisor to the site, but the police refused.
Instead, the police called for help, and a Rensselaer County sheriff’s deputy arrived to help Gamache capture Edwards. A Black woman who appeared to be Edwards’ friend was later arrested for trying to retrieve items from his car before it was taken away.
The video shows Edwards telling the officer, “You are working for me because he was a taxpayer,” in rage at the unauthorized arrest. According to the Atlanta Black Star, Gamache stated that’s not how it works.
A citizen is arrested by Officer Taylor Gamche after being honked at
NYpic.twitter.com/Uar9WlPOVw Troy PD
July 31, 2025: Nightcap Crimes (@NightcapCrimes)
On Facebook, the city of Troy announced that Gamache had been hired in 2021 and included a link to a video of the swearing-in ceremony, where he made a commitment to uphold the Constitution. “You are not just starting a new job, you are answering a calling, a calling to serve,” stated William Patrick Madden, the mayor of Troy at the time. Today, you will be joining one of the top police departments.
However, the Troy Police Department was sued by the New York Civil Liberties Union that same year for failing to disclose the misconduct records of its officers. According to Melanie Trimble, director of the NYCLU’s capital region chapter, Troy residents have a right to know the type and volume of complaints against their officers, and the Troy Police Department cannot continue to refuse requests for misconduct records made on behalf of the people they have vowed to defend and serve.
Officer Taylor Gamache broke his oath and is a cowardly bitch. That is treason and ought to be dealt with accordingly.Back The Blue @TroyCityHall #UntilItHappensToYou
Driver Gets Arrested Five Minutes After Honking at a Cop Car Idling at a Green Light Lhttps://t.co/LfHowGi2Iovia@YouTube
July 30, 2025, John (@GothamJohnDoe)
No police force can continue to avoid its need to be open and honest. Wherever we witness opposition to accountability, we will combat it, and we will keep trying to eradicate the concealment around evidence of police misconduct throughout the state of New York. West Virginia lawyer John H. Bryan posted the video and his analysis on his page, The Civil Rights Lawyer, a police accountability YouTube channel.
As he stated in his YouTube video regarding the case, we all know that Matthew did not commit a homicide. Gamache was aware of that, Bryan added. Matthew was aware of that. The witnesses were aware of that. That was known to the judge who threw out the criminal accusations. You can be sure that the Troy Police Department’s leadership is aware of it. The mayor is aware of that, you know.
