Body camera footage captures a clash between a Nashville police officer and a plainclothes Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper who was pulled over while escorting a prominent politician.
The trooper was escorting state House Speaker Cameron Sexton in a black SUV in October when an unmarked Metro Nashville Police Department officer attempted to stop the vehicle for allegedly traveling 85 mph in a 55 mph zone.
Video shows the SUV activating its blue emergency lights to signal it was part of a protection detail, but the MNPD officer drove alongside the detail and yelled for the vehicle to pull over.
Moments later, Sexton’s detail pulled to the side of the road, and the trooper exited the SUV and approached the officer to identify himself.
“Get over here,” the MNPD officer shouted through the noise of the busy freeway.
“I’m Highway Patrol!” the trooper replied, before being pushed away by the officer.
“I don’t care who you are!” the officer snapped back.
“Get your freakin’ hands off me,” the trooper shouted.
“If you touch me again, I’m going to lock you up, my friend,” the officer threatened.
The trooper then showed his badge and explained that he was escorting Sexton.
“I’ve got the Tennessee House Speaker in the car, and we’re moving,” the trooper said.
“No, you’re not. Let me see your ID,” the officer replied.
Moments later, tensions flared again as the trooper stepped out of the SUV and was shoved by the officer.
“If you’re going to run 85 mph in a 55 mph zone, you need to yield to police,” the officer said. “I don’t care who you think you are.”
“I am the police!” the trooper replied.
“Well, the police are trying to stop you because you’re breaking the law,” the officer shot back. “What’s your problem, dude?”
The trooper said he had activated his blue lights and provided the officer with his badge number.
“I’ve got business to take care of. We’ve got places to go,” he added.
“We’re going to see about that, my friend,” the officer said, before the two parted ways.
Following the encounter, Sexton’s chief of staff, Kevin Johnson, filed a Citizen Complaint Report, WKRN reported.
A spokesperson for Sexton later said the MNPD officer’s actions were “overzealous” and “jeopardized the safety of Speaker Sexton and THP.”
“There was no violation of traffic laws by the THP officer pursuant to state law. In today’s climate of political violence, the job of executive protection is more difficult than ever,” Sexton’s office said in a statement to WKRN.
The statement added that the trooper repeatedly identified himself and attempted to show his badge but was physically confronted twice, while remaining restrained throughout the encounter.
However, an internal Metro Police investigation cleared the officer, concluding his actions were reasonable and in line with department policy.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol later said it “maintains a collaborative working relationship with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department built on mutual respect and shared professionalism, and we’re proud of the work our agencies accomplish together to keep Tennesseans safe.”
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