Police agencies all over Central Florida say if you don't feel safe during a traffic stop, drive to a public area.

That was what one DeLand teenager said she did — she continued to drive to her grandmother's house — and she thought she was doing the right thing.

But what began as a simple traffic stop took a dramatic turn as 19-year-old Sextoneriya Keith ended up staring at a gun and in handcuffs.

With guns drawn, deputies cuffed Keith and charged her with fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer, a felony in Florida.

Keith could be heard saying, "You're twisting my arm," in body cam video released from the traffic stop.

"I see the gun in my face and all the yelling," Keith recalled. "It really took me into a different world. [It escalated] very fast, and it was very scary."

Keith explained she didn't feel safe due to tensions and violence across the nation, including her hometown of DeLand between police and African-Americans.

Andrew Gant, with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, said Keith should have stopped in a well-lit area, where she would feel safe.

"In this case, passing multiple public, lighted areas into a dark residential area isn't appropriate," Gant explained. "You have to think of our officer's safety as well."

Attorney Jason Harr said a driver who does not feel safe with their surroundings should call 911 first.

"Explain to the operator exactly what was happening, that she was scared, what type of car she was driving — year, make, model — where she is, approximately what street she's driving on," Harr suggested.

According to Harr, the operator can then contact the officer to explain the driver's fears and possibly de-escalate a tense situation.

Besides calling 911, Gant suggested: "Give some kind of signal that, 'I see you, and I'm going to pull over as soon as I can in a safe area,'" so they know your intentions are harmless.

"I would take everything I've learned from this case and use it," Keith said, so if it happens again, a simple traffic stop doesn't turn into something worse.

The State Attorney's Office later lowered the charges against Keith from fleeing to attempting to elude to failure to obey a police officer, which is a misdemeanor, as opposed to the earlier felony charge.