The Chattanooga Police Department on Wednesday released body camera footage of a Sept. 11 traffic stop of City Council candidate Marie Mott in the Avondale area.
In the footage, Officer Kelly Cronon informed Mott that she was being pulled over because her "passenger headlight was out," to which Mott responded, "OK...but that's not a reason to pull me over."
Cronon indicated that having a faulty headlight is a reason to pull her over, and Mott accused the officer of harassing her.
"Ma'am you just did an illegal U-turn to come over here and harass me," Mott told Cronon in the video.
"Y'all harassing me, y'all white cops in a Black community," Mott told a second officer -- Codi Monroy -- who responded to the scene to assist Cronon.
"Mott became agitated and aggressive during the stop when asked for her driver's license, registration and proof of insurance for the vehicle," the incident report said.
"When Ms. Mott was asked if the vehicle belonged to her, she stated 'are you f---- kidding me?'," an incident report stated.
"Ma'am, I'll give you my driver's license, because you ain't getting nothing else from me," Mott said on the video. "There's no reason for you to pull me... because I have not committed a crime."
Officer Cronon informed Mott that having a headlight out is a traffic violation, with Mott counter-arguing that having a headlight going out while traveling is not a crime.
"What you're doing is harassing a Black woman," Mott said.
When Mott received a citation for a faulty headlight, financial responsibility -- for not providing proof of insurance -- and improper display of her tags, Mott argued that she did have insurance.
"What are you talking about," Mott said. "Can I step out the vehicle?"
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Mott then proceeded to exit the vehicle in an attempt to show officers that her license plates were on proper display, with Monroy chiming in saying that she had to pull the frame around her license plate back for it to be fully visible.
Mott did not respond to Chattanooga Times Free Press calls, texts or emails for comments about the incident or the release of the footage.
The video footage was sent to local media Wednesday morning in a news release with little explanation.
"The links below are to a traffic stop conducted at 2000 Cooley Street with Marie Mott," Assistant Police Chief Jerri Sutton said in the 10:15 a.m. news release, which contained no further information and links to four video segments.
(WATCH: Police release video of traffic stop involving Chattanooga council candidate Marie Mott)
The Chattanooga Times Free Press had asked the city for any videos taken from the traffic stop shortly after 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The city responded Wednesday morning at 8:37 a.m. that the requested records were part of an active criminal investigation and were prohibited from release by Tennessee law.
Assistant Police Chief Jerri Sutton said by phone that the city's change of heart was the result of a miscommunication between the department and the city attorney.
"It was a traffic stop, so it's not an active investigation," she said. "It's closed out."
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The video, which shows Mott repeatedly swearing at officers who remain calm, was released the day before a City Council runoff election between Mott and appointed incumbent Marvene Noel. Mayor Tim Kelly has endorsed Noel.
Only residents of District 8 can participate in the election on Thursday. The polling places involved are Alton Park, Avondale, Bushtown, Courthouse, Downtown, East Chattanooga, East Lake, Eastside and Ridgedale.
Contact La Shawn Pagán at lpagan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow her on Twitter @LaShawnPagan.
Contact David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6249. Follow him on Twitter @flavid_doyd.