Representative John Thompson allegedly apologized to the St. Paul police officer that he accused of “racial profiling” who pulled him over on July 4 for driving without a front license plate. St. Paul Police spokesman Steve Linders said in an interview with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, “John Thompson did show up unannounced at our Western District offices … so he could apologize to the sergeant who pulled him over on July 4.”
In the bodycam footage that was released of the traffic stop, Thompson can be seen berating the police officer for pulling him over, calling it a ticket for “driving while black.” In footage of the incident, Thompson tells the officer that he’s “a state representative in this area, if that makes any difference.” The officer replies, “With a Wisconsin license?” Thompson alleged that what the officer was doing was “wrong to black men.”
During the traffic stop, it was also discovered that Thompson did not have a valid Minnesota driver’s license and that his Wisconsin license was suspended for failing to pay child support. As reported by The Minnesota Sun, “According to [Thompson’s] statement, he offered an explanation for his Wisconsin license, saying he was considering moving back to Wisconsin to care for a family member. He said he has lived and worked in St. Paul for ‘many years.’ He also said that his holding a Wisconsin driver’s license hadn’t ‘posed an issue’ before, despite Minnesota law requiring new residents of Minnesota to switch their licenses over within 60 days of moving to the state.”
Old abuse allegations against Thompson also came to light again and new evidence has emerged to corroborate the claims. The allegations led to a bipartisan call from many lawmakers for Thompson to resign. Broken furniture and bruises on a female can be seen in police evidence images from an incident involving Thompson in Eagan, Minnesota, obtained by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. While Thompson questioned the “authenticity” of police reports, police evidence seems to speak to the contrary. As reported by The Sun, “Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said that it would be ‘very unusual’ for three different police departments to ‘fabricate’ the information regarding the abuse allegations.”
Coming up at 6 on 5 Eyewitness News: Police evidence photos from one of the cases of alleged domestic abuse by MN Rep. John Thompson. Thompson and his attorney have cast doubt on “authenticity” of the police reports. We’ll show you photos that go with one of those reports at 6. pic.twitter.com/pkXsvhvfPZ
— Tom Hauser (@thauserkstp) July 22, 2021
Thompson was also recently convicted of a misdemeanor for an incident taking place in 2019. Previously, reported by The Sun, Thompson created a disturbance at a hospital where a family member was being cared for after a suicide attempt.
“The situation escalated to the point where the hospital went on lockdown and reports say that people were screaming and banging on locked doors.”
Thompson called the situation “discriminatory,” but a jury found him guilty of an obstruction misdemeanor.
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Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun | Star News Network and The College Fix. She graduated with a degree in Communications from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “St. Paul Police” by Tony Webster. CC BY-SA 2.0.
