St. Paul Police are sharing details about their latest encounter with Minnesota Rep. John Thompson after what appeared to be a routine traffic stop involving his 26-year-old daughter turned chaotic on Sunday.
According to St. Paul Police, an officer suspected a 26-year-old woman of driving while impaired in St. Paul and pulled her over. When the driver did not cooperate and refused a field sobriety test, the officer called for back-up.
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During the traffic stop, Independent Rep. John Thompson arrived in another car and began "yelling" at officers and identified the woman who was pulled over as his daughter. He also gave officers his business card which lists him as an elected official.
St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell detailed the incident in a Facebook post.
"The driver’s father pulled up in another vehicle, jumped out and immediately began interfering by yelling and questioning the traffic stop and identifying himself as State Representative John Thompson," Axtell wrote.
Officers detailed that they allowed Thompson's daughter to leave the scene with her father because of her unwillingness to cooperate and Thompson's demeanor, opting to charge her out of custody.
"It’s an absolute shame—that an elected official would attempt to intimidate and bully police officers, that he would misuse his official position, that officers doing their jobs should have to endure illegitimate claims of racism, that John Thompson is still serving in the Legislature," added Axtell.
The incident involving Thompson comes after he was pulled over by St. Paul police on July 4 for not having a front license plate. During that stop, Thompson claimed he was racially profiled by police. He later apologized and was cited for driving with a suspended license.
Following that traffic stop, questions were raised about Thompson's residency due to his Wisconsin driver's license, and, domestic violence allegations surfaced - which he denied.
Following Sunday's latest incident, Axtell encouraged Thompson or his daughter to allow the release of police body camera footage.
"It was an outrageous scene. I wish state law allowed us to release the body worn camera footage. But we can’t at this time. However, Rep. Thompson or his daughter can. And I encourage them to do so."