A video uploaded by Florida’s Orlando Police Department on Wednesday showed two officers struggling to explain why State Attorney Aramis Ayala was pulled over. Following the release of the bodycam video, people have accused the police officers of racially profiling Florida’s first African-American state attorney.

The incident happened June 19, when the officers pulled over a white sedan that Ayala was driving. On learning she is the state attorney, the officer who had asked for her ID, struggled to explain the reason for the stop.

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"Thank you, your tag didn't come back, never seen that before, but we're good now. We ran the tag, I've never seen it before with a Florida tag, it didn't come back to anything, so that's the reason for the stop," the officer, who has not been identified, said.

Ayala then asks him what the tag run was for.

"Oh we run tags through all the time, whether it's a traffic light and that sort of stuff, that's how we figure out if cars are stolen and that sort of thing. Also, the windows are really dark, I don't have a tint measure but that's another reason for the stop," he answered Ayala, who can be seen smiling at the explanation.

Ayala then asks the two officers if they have their cards with them, to which the officer replies in the negative, and subsequently offers her a piece of paper with their names on.

Upon the release of the video, social media users accused the officers of racially profiling Ayala.

The police department issued a statement saying: “The Orlando Police Department allows the running of tags for official business only, and this is done routinely on patrol. In regards to the video, which was released by the Orlando Police Department last month, the officers stated the tag did not come back as registered to any vehicle. As you can see in the video, the window tint was dark, and officers would not have been able to tell who, or how many people, were in the vehicle. No complaint has been filed in reference to this traffic stop.”

Ayala also explained the incident in a statement released to the Orlando Weekly.

“I was pulled over by Orlando Police department on June 19th in Parramore after leaving FAMU Law School, where I taught in the evening. After public records request, the video was released by the Orlando Police Department. Since its release, the video has had more than 2 million views and produced a flood of misinformation. Including the filing of a lawsuit which is not true,” she said.

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“To be clear, I violated no laws. The license plate, while confidential, was and remains properly registered. The tint was in no way a violation of Florida law. Although the traffic stop appears to be consistent with Florida law. My goal is to have a constructive and mutually respectful relationship between law enforcement and the community,” Ayala stated, adding: “I look forward to sitting down to have an open dialogue with the Chief of Orlando Police Department regarding how this incident impacts that goal.”

In March, Ayala was criticized for her decision to not seek the death penalty in 24 murder cases. One of those cases involved Markeith Loyd, who fatally shot an Orlando police lieutenant and Loyd’s pregnant ex-girlfriend. Gov. Rick Scott suspended her from the cases, following which she sued him in federal and state courts.

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