A leaked video shows the son of Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock hurling a series of insults, including homophobic slurs, at a police officer after the young man got pulled over for speeding.
In the clip, which was obtained Tuesday by Denver ABC affiliate KMGH and can be viewed above, Jordan Hancock berates the officer, calling him a “bitch” and a “faggot.”
“My dad’s the mayor, you fucking faggot,” the 22-year-old says. “I’m about to get you fired, you fucking bitch!”
The video appears to be taken from body camera footage dating back to March 23, when the younger Hancock was pulled over for driving 65 mph in a 40 mph zone in Aurora, a Denver suburb. The 20-second clip leaked to KMGH ends with the mayor’s son driving away in a huff after being issued a speeding ticket.
“Attitude very poor,” the officer wrote on the ticket, according to KMGH. “See video.”
Aurora is a separate municipality from Denver, with its own police department.
Jordan Hancock paid a $250 speeding fine after a brief court appearance on Monday, but did not speak to reporters. In a Tuesday tweet, his father said Jordan has since apologized to the officer, who has not been publicly identified.
The mayor termed his son’s actions “inexcusable,” and said he hoped the “personal mistake” would provide a “valuable lesson” for the community.
“The last thing we want are young men interacting with our police officers in that manner ― particularly African-American young men,” the mayor told 9NEWS. “And so he recognizes that and he certainly understands that the officer didn’t deserve the interaction that he had.”
Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz, in a statement released Tuesday, said the department had launched an internal investigation into the video leak.
The 20-second clip appeared to have been “improperly copied and disclosed,” he said, and the department would not be releasing the complete footage.
He also pledged support for the officer in the video.
“Everyday our officers interact with individuals of varying emotions,” he said. “Unfortunately, there are those times when our officers are treated poorly. I am constantly reminded of and impressed by the professionalism our officers demonstrate during these situations, and I appreciate the work they do each and every day despite these encounters.”