Police: St. Paul lawmaker intervened in traffic stop of daughter
Updated: April 26, 2:53 p.m. | Posted: April 25, 2:48 p.m.
State Rep. John Thompson intervened after a 26-year-old woman he said was his daughter was pulled over in St. Paul and took her away from the scene before police could administer a field sobriety test in a suspected impaired driving case.
That’s according to a statement from St. Paul police, regarding a traffic stop before 5 p.m. Sunday. Thompson, a Democrat who was ousted from the House DFL Caucus, has not responded to a request from MPR News about his version of events.
Police said an officer on a state-funded “Toward Zero Deaths” traffic enforcement detail saw a van swerve out of a lane on Interstate 35E. She also noted that the van’s registration — listed to John Thompson — had expired in 2020.
After repeated attempts to pull the vehicle over, police said the van stopped on Westminster Street, beside the freeway, and the officer approached the driver and asked her to roll down her window more than the 1 inch it was open, only to have her decline.
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“The officer who made the stop could smell the odor of illegal drugs coming from the van and asked the driver for her drivers license,” police said.
The officer called for backup and police placed a “pursuit terminator” under the van to prevent it from leaving. As that happened, police said another vehicle approached at high speed and Thompson got out and started yelling at police, saying the van’s driver was his daughter and accusing them of mistreating her.
Thompson also told officers he was a state representative and police released a photo of a business card they said he showed police at the scene.
“Thompson continued to yell and scream in an irate fashion – and mention his elected position several times — as the van’s driver continued to ignore officers and made a video call,” police said in a statement that accompanied a report about the incident.
A police spokesperson confirmed the incident was captured on multiple officer body cameras but said the video could not be released without Thompson’s permission, under state law governing individuals on police body camera video.
Police said they eventually gave up trying to administer a field sobriety test and allowed the van driver to leave the scene with Thompson, with the intention to seek charges against her later.
A police spokesperson also said that Thompson himself could face charges in the matter.
“As we’ve done in other cases, our department will present all of the facts related to this incident to the City Attorney for potential charges — for everyone involved. Citations don’t have to be issued immediately. Often, they’re issued after our partners with the City Attorney’s Office have had the opportunity to review the police reports and evidence and determine what charges are warranted,” said a statement in an email from police spokesperson Steve Linders.
St. Paul police chief Todd Axtell wrote a stinging response to the incident on Facebook, calling the incident “outrageous.”
“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,” Axtell wrote.
Axtell called on Thompson or his daughter to allow police body camera video of the incident to be released. The state's peace officers association later echoed that request.
Thompson issued a statement Tuesday saying he would "not attempt to misuse, intimidate or bully police officers with his official position.”
He said in the statement that he responded as any concerned father would, arriving at a chaotic scene to help deal with his frightened daughter. He said she was having a mental health episode, which was "triggered by the large presence" of the police.
Thompson said the law enforcement officers on the scene treated him with the utmost respect and that he wanted to highlight the exemplary job the officers did deescalating the situation.
The incident comes less than a year after Thompson, who is Black, made charges of racial bias against St. Paul police, after he was pulled over for driving without a front license plate during a similar traffic enforcement effort. Police also discovered he had a Wisconsin driver’s license, claiming residence in that state, despite serving in the Minnesota Legislature.
The incident brought to light other court records, including a suspension of Thompson’s Minnesota driving privileges for failing to pay child support, as well as years-old allegations of domestic assault that prompted Gov. Tim Walz and other DFLers to call for his resignation and led the DFL caucus to expel him.
Thompson appeared at the Minnesota Capitol on Sunday shortly after the reported traffic stop and was among the lawmakers attending Walz’s state of the state address Sunday night.
On Monday he posted a video on Facebook but did not address the incident, instead only assuring that he is still seeking reelection. He has rebuffed calls for him to step down, although he lost the often-crucial DFL party endorsement for his seat at a district convention in March.