WATCH: Traffic stop footage released of Democrat state rep who falsely claimed he was ticketed for ‘driving while black’

A St. Paul police officer pulled Thompson over in the early morning hours of July 4, reporting that the state representative was driving without a front license plate, which is illegal in Minnesota. Thompson claimed during the traffic stop and via press statement afterwards that the cop pulled him over because he is black.

The body camera video starts with the police officer approaching Thompson's car. The audio is silent in the beginning when the footage buffered, according to the police department. The silent first 30 seconds means the initial words spoken by the officer and Thompson cannot be heard, Bring Me The News reported.

"Why in such a hurry?" the officer asks Thompson after the buffering.

"I don't think I took off like a bat out of hell. I just drove off," Thompson replies.

The officer notes that Thompson's license is from Wisconsin. Thompson said in the Monday press statement that he obtained a Wisconsin license because his family was considering moving back to the state to care for a family member.

"I'm actually a current state representative in this district right here," Thompson tells the officer in the body camera video.

"And you got a Wisconsin [driver's] license?" the officer asks Thompson further.

The cop returns to his police cruiser for about 14 minutes of the approximate 16-minute long video. After printing off a citation, the cop exits the squad car and approaches Thompson's vehicle, apologizing for taking so long. The officer says that Thompson's license had been suspended. It was revoked two years ago after he failed to pay child support, WCCO reported.

According to records, Thompson does not hold a Minnesota driver's license and has never had a driver's license issued by Minnesota, the Minneapolis news outlet reported. Thomson was cited by the officer for driving with a suspended Wisconsin license. WCCO learned Thompson's license was revoked in April 2019 for failing to pay child support in Ramsey County. Thompson's license was reinstated last Wednesday after taking care of the child support issue, WCCO cited.

"That's what the computer says. If it's wrong, you'll have to deal with DVS [the Department of Vehicle Services]," the officer tells Thompson.

The lawmaker then asks why the officer pulled him over, to which he responds, "No front plate, and the way you took off from the light back there."

Thompson responds to the ticket by accusing the officer of racial profiling, but the cop reiterates that the traffic stop was for the license plate, which is required by state law. The politician says he was unaware of the suspension.

"I'm too old to run from the police man," Thompson replies. "You profiled me because you looked me dead in the face and I got a ticket for driving while black. You pulled me over because you saw a black face in this car, brother. There's no way in hell I'm taking off with you behind me ... You looked in this car and busted a U-turn and got behind my car, and that's the reason."

Thompson continues to tell the officer that "what you're doing is wrong to black men" and instructs the cop to stop the alleged practice. "Thank you so much but this ticket means nothing to me," Thompson adds. "What I'm saying to you is stop racially profiling black men in their cars, sir. Stop doing that."

After the traffic stop, St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell called for the release of the bodycam footage and stood behind the officer's conduct. "I was shocked to hear that driver accuse the sergeant of making the stop based on race," Axtell said.

"These aren't accusations I take lightly, so I looked into the traffic stop, watched the body worn camera footage and spoke to the sergeant. This stop, made at about 1:20 in the morning, had absolutely nothing to do with the driver's race," Axtell wrote on Facebook. "The traffic stop was by the books. What happened afterwards was anything but," Axtell stated on social media. Axtell said that the elected official owes the sergeant an apology for the false race-based allegations.

Thompson's statement offered no apology, but did say he supported the release of the body camera video and that the actions of the officer "were by the book."

He argued the criminal justice system's use of pretextual stops is a core issue. "I was able to drive away from this interaction while other Black Minnesotans, in very similar situations, have not," Thompson said, referring to the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop and attempted arrest for an outstanding arrest warrant in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

"I was pulled over in what is referred to as a pretextual traffic stop. The same type of stop that led to the killing of Philando, as well as Daunte Wright this April," Thompson claimed. "Pretextual stops have been shown to not only do little to stop serious crimes, but they also disproportionately target nonwhites."

But the discrepancy has sparked questions about Thompson's residency and whether he is eligible to represent District 67A since representatives, by law, must live in the district they're representing. includes a St. Paul-listed PO box. Minnesota state Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake) on Tuesday, asking about the process used to verify Thompson's residency when he filed to run for office. Kiffmeyer asked about document requests and tools Thompson's office utilized.