Secret standoff sparks scuffle between Cleveland County deputies and Lexington police
By: Tensions between law enforcement in Cleveland County are "strained" right now, according to a town's police chief.
Lexington Police Chief Ronnie Johnson told FOX 25 they were not informed of a standoff situation in their town earlier this week until one of their officers pulled over the Cleveland County Sheriff, Chris Amason.
Lexington Police told FOX 25 Sheriff Amason was going 85 miles per hour in a 55-mile-per-hour zone in an unmarked car without lights or sirens turned on.
"I'm going to a SWAT call," Sheriff Amason can be heard saying in body camera video obtained from Lexington police.
"Ok sir, just pulled you over because you're doing 85 in a 55," the Lexington officer told the Sheriff in the body camera video.
"I know. I was going to a SWAT call out," Sheriff Amason responded.
"I didn't know we had one," the officer responded.
"We have an armed guy barricaded in the house who used to be a Tulsa Police officer," Sheriff Amason told the officer.
"Where at?" the officer asked.
"Just right down here," the sheriff responded.
"Here in Lexington?" the officer asked. "We have an armed person that we don't know about?"
The officer lets the Sheriff go and then calls his Chief to inquire about the situation.
In another body camera video, Lexington Chief Johnson arrived at the SWAT incident Sheriff Amason was responding to and a tense scene ensued.
"What is going on here?" Chief Johnson can be heard asking Cleveland County Sheriff's deputy. "Did you realize I'd like to know what's going on in my own damn city?"
"We would have notified you, sir," the deputy responded.
"We WOULD have?" the Chief responded. "I've been down there at the PD all f**king day."
Another deputy chimed into the conversation between the Chief and responding officers.
"It says, 'Lexington was notified and refused to respond'," the deputy told the Chief.
"Ok, I don't know who the f**k said that," the Chief responded. "I don't appreciate all of this going on and nobody notifying me a damn thing about it."
Things get even more heated when the Sheriff arrives at the scene. As the Sheriff is pulling up, a deputy and a Lexington officer get into a confrontation.
"You aren't going to talk to my Chief like this," the officer tells the deputy. "That's not going to happen."
"You can get the f**k out of my face," the deputy responds. "I don't give a f**k who you are, ok. This is my town too."
"Sheriff you need to back up out of my face," the officer says as the Sheriff walks up to him.
"You have no authority here," the Sheriff responds.
A deputy then butts in and confronts the Lexington officer again.
"You're not going to f**king tell me what to do, mother f**ker," the deputy says while pointing in the officer's face. "You're not going to get in my Sheriff's face."
In the video, you can see the Sheriff pull the agitated deputy away and try to de-escalate the situation.
Toward the end of the body camera video, the Sheriff and Lexington Chief speak with each other.
"This is our operation. This is my county," the Sheriff tells the Lexington Chief. "Understand?"
"Oh yeah," the Chief responds. "Perfectly f**king clear. Perfectly clear."
The Chief and the Lexington officer walk away from the scene and the video ends.