A Tennessee cop got into a heated confrontation with a highway patrol trooper after he attempted to pull him over while he was driving a local politician.
The trooper was escorting state House Speaker Cameron Sexton in a black SUV when an officer with the Metro Nashville Police Department issued a traffic stop, alleging the trooper was driving 30mph over the speed limit.
The police car drove up to the SUV in the left lane while instructing it to pull over, and the trooper finally complied.
Another officer was heard over the radio saying the SUV refused to stop for them earlier.
When the police officer got out of his vehicle, he yelled at the highway patrol officer to ‘get over here!’
‘I’m highway patrol!’ the trooper replied.
The altercation then turned physical as the officer pushed the trooper and fired back: ‘I don’t care who you are!’
‘Get your freakin’ hands off me,’ the trooper responded.
The cop attempted to pull the vehicle over after recording it moving 30mph over the speed limit
The THP officer was escorting state House Speaker Cameron Sexton during the altercation
The Metro officer threatened the trooper to adhere to the speeding limits before the altercation became physical
The Metro officer then threatened to lock him up, at which point the highway patrol trooper showed his badge and revealed that he was driving the house speaker.
‘If you’re going to run 85mph in a 55mph zone, you’re going to have to yield to police. I don’t care who you are,’ the officer said.
The comment elicited a fiery response from the highway patrol trooper, who replied: ‘I am the police!’
The trooper said he put his blue lights on and gave the officer his badge number. ‘I got business to take care of. We got places to go,’ the trooper added.
‘We’re going to see about that, my friend,’ the officer said before retreating to his police vehicle.
The incident occurred in October, and since then, Sexton’s chief of staff, Kevin Johnson, filed a Citizen Complaint Report against the officer.
Sexton’s office called the Metro police officer ‘overzealous’ in a statement to local CBS affiliate, WKRN.
The speaker’s office defended the highway patrol officer and maintained that no traffic laws were violated before the tense altercation.
Dramatic bodycam and dash camera footage highlights the dramatic clash between the police officer and the highway patrol
Sexton’s office defended the THP trooper in a statement and called the officer ‘overly aggressive’ and ‘overzealous’
The statement claimed that the police officer was ‘overly aggressive’ and placed his hand on the trooper, provoking a reaction.
‘The THP trooper showed restraint and refrained from escalating the situation further,’ Sexton’s office added.
‘In the end cooler heads prevailed. We commend THP for their professionalism and dedication to protect and serve.’
An internal investigation conducted by Metro police concluded that the officer acted reasonably and didn’t violate the department’s rules.
‘The Tennessee Highway Patrol 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,’ THP said in a statement.
Tennessee Fraternal Order of Police President Scottie Delashmit told WKRN that police vehicles performing dignitary detail are still required to adhere to the posted speed limit unless they use emergency lights and sirens.
The Daily Mail has reached out to THP, MNPD, and Sexton’s office for additional comment.
