The bad tail light was a pretext for the true reason for the stop. If the officers really believed that it was a possible high risk stop with a possible armed robber suspect (that's what dispatch was told about the stop) then it would have been better for all if high risk stop procedures were followed.Come to think about it, if I was going to shoot a cop, I would have my gun out before he got to the car.
Here is my theory:
Cop - you have a bad tail light. Can I see your license and registration?
Cas - Okay. I have a gun and a permit to carry.
Cas - reaches for billfold.
Cop thinks he is after gun.
Everybody is right.
http://resources.learningforlife.org/exploring/lawenforcement/study/tstop.pdf