The brother of a Chattanooga City Council member livestreamed his own traffic stop in Brainerd as it escalated to deputies breaking the driver's side window and forcibly arresting him.
Ricky Coonrod, 43, was arrested and charged Monday with felony drug possession for resale, resisting arrest and a tag light violation. Hamilton County Sheriff's Office deputies pulled Coonrod over at a Kanku's gas station on the 3600 block of Brainerd Road after two alleged traffic violations and seeing the light above his license plate was out, according to a news release from the office Tuesday.
Deputies had started following Coonrod after reportedly seeing him make "what appeared to be a narcotics transaction," the Sheriff's Office said. Coonrod initially refused a search of his car, according to an affidavit. A later search found a small backpack in his car with $1,372 in cash and several sealed bags of "what appeared to be marijuana," the deputy wrote in his report.
After the incident, Chattanooga City Council Member Demetrus Coonrod, of Eastdale, criticized police on social media and said her family will "take appropriate action and not let this incident go unaddressed."
"While he's mentally OK, the encounter has left significant emotional and physical impacts with my brother," Coonrod, who is also running for Tennessee House against State Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, said in a video on social media Tuesday. "In 2024, it's unacceptable that our Black men, women and poor white people continue to fear for their lives during interactions with our police. This fear reflects broader systemic issues that urgently need addressing."
On video
Coonrod filmed his arrest live on social media. In the video, he told the camera he was pulled him over because his tag light was out. He handed over his license and was asked to step out of the car.
"Why do I need to step out of the car for a tag light?" he said. "Somebody please help me or tell me."
Coonrod said several times he feared for his safety.
"We're in a public place," the deputy responded. "Well lit."
Coonrod did not provide proof of insurance or his car registration, the Sheriff's Office said in a release. Spikes were placed under his car wheels, Coonrod said. Another deputy in the video eventually told Coonrod he was "making this a bigger deal than it has to be."
"This is a traffic stop," he said as Coonrod continued to ask questions. "From the moment those blue lights go on, you're detained."
The deputy said Coonrod's tag light being out was probable cause to pull him over.
"How am I detained?" Coonrod asked.
"That's what case law says," the deputy said. "When the blue lights go on, you're detained."
"He has absolute right to get you out of the car," the same deputy added later. "That is what case law says."
"I don't believe that," Coonrod said.
"You can Google it, man," the deputy responded.
"Is it OK if I see it and Google it?" Coonrod said. "Can somebody Google that real quick and see what he just said?"
"All right, Coonrod," a deputy said after another two minutes. "This is your final chance. You're going get out of the vehicle, or I'm going to bust your window open and you're going to be taken out and you will be under arrest."
The deputy counted to three as Coonrod continued to protest. The camera was on Coonrod's face as the driver-side window broke. His phone shook and fell as the deputies removed Coonrod from the car and he shouted off-screen. The 20-minute video continued for another 12 minutes before it was turned off.
After Coonrod repeatedly refused to get out of the car, deputies got approval from a supervisor to use a glass breaker to break his window, according to the Sheriff's Office.
A deputy broke the glass, undid Coonrod's seat belt and pulled Coonrod out of the car, according to an affidavit in the case. When Coonrod continued to struggle, deputies put him on the ground using a straight arm bar takedown, the affidavit said.
An East Ridge K-9 officer, Brendan Beadle, used a drive-stun on Coonrod, which is a two- to three-second stun that doesn't shoot out probes like a Taser-style stun gun, East Ridge Police Chief Clint Uselton said by phone. Beadle was called to the scene to perform a free air sniff for narcotics, including marijuana, though Uselton said he's not sure if the sniff test was actually performed.
No other force was reported by East Ridge officers, according to Uselton.
Staff photo / A Hamilton County Sheriff's vehicle is shown.Protect and serve
Demetrus Coonrod said in a video it's vital to ensure "such behavior by police officers is not normalized but thoroughly investigated and dealt with appropriately."
"The role of law enforcement should be to protect and serve with dignity, respect and professionalism without resorting to unnecessary force or intimidation," she said. "Continued advocacy on all of our parts and action are essential in driving the change needed to transform policing practices and ensure they are conducted with the highest standards of fairness and respect for all individuals regardless of background. Now was my brother a saint? No, he wasn't a saint, but that doesn't mean put your feet on his body in any kind of way."
Coonrod said her brother asked why he needed to be removed from the car, and if there were any other issues beyond the tag light being out, she said, he should have been made aware of it. When he said he feared for his life, someone should have called for a supervisor, she argued.
Coonrod said she spoke to Chattanooga police leadership, who assured her city officers did not lay hands on her brother or use a stun gun. The incident did not involve the city's Police Department, Coonrod said, adding the City Council meeting Tuesday would not be an appropriate place for protests or comments about her brother's arrest. A car with a Chattanooga Police Department decal is visible in the video.
She said she would reach out to the East Ridge Police Department and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. Uselton said Coonrod called him Tuesday to voice her concerns.
(READ MORE: East Ridge Police Department launching drone program)
"I assure you that my family is on top of it, and this will be the last person in my family that they will raise their foot up to kick," Coonrod said.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Coonrod said she would prefer not to comment on the situation. The Chattanooga Times Free Press sent her questions by text asking whether her brother was injured, what "appropriate action" her family would take, and whether she had a chance to speak with East Ridge police and the Sheriff's Office. Her brother did not immediately respond to a direct message on social media.
Every use of force is reviewed by the department, Uselton said, adding no issues with the stun gun were noted in the initial report. Though having a tag light out is a low-level misdemeanor, Uselton said refusing to sign a citation or being non-compliant could mean the citation turns into an arrest.
"That's how the officer ensures you show up in court," Uselton said.
Contact David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.
Contact Ellen Gerst at egerst@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6319.