Highlights
- Body camera footage obtained by Arizona's Family shows Kolodin handcuffed during a 2020 Scottsdale traffic stop, six years before the video surfaced publicly.
- Officers found a firearm in the front seat but determined it belonged to the driver, not Kolodin; he received a civil littering ticket.
- Kolodin, now a Republican state representative running for Arizona secretary of state, says he threw ice, not a drink container, from the vehicle.
- Public records confirm Kolodin was never criminally charged in connection with the incident.
Police body camera footage from a 2020 Scottsdale traffic stop shows Alexander Kolodin, a Republican state representative now running for Arizona secretary of state, placed in handcuffs, a recording that surfaced publicly this week as Kolodin campaigns to become the state's top election official.
The footage, obtained by Arizona's Family and reported by Dennis Welch, shows Scottsdale police initiating the stop after observing a vehicle with no visible license plates. While following the vehicle, officers reported seeing a passenger throw an unidentifiable shiny object from the window. Police suspected the object might be contraband or an alcohol container, a criminal offense even when a passenger, rather than the driver, is consuming it.
After the vehicle pulled into a parking lot, officers ordered Kolodin to walk backward toward them before placing him in handcuffs. A firearm was discovered in the front seat, which prompted officers to detain both Kolodin and the driver. Police later determined the weapon belonged to the driver, described as a friend of Kolodin's.
What happened to the charges?
Kolodin was never criminally charged in connection with the incident. Officers located an alcohol can near the scene, poured out its remaining contents, and issued Kolodin a ticket for criminal littering. Kolodin said the matter was ultimately resolved as a civil littering violation.
Kolodin has maintained that he threw ice, not a drink container, from the vehicle. In a statement responding to the footage, he said police were unable to substantiate their initial suspicion: "The police incorrectly mistook it as a drink container; however after reviewing their evidence they were unable to substantiate that claim."
The incident occurred in 2020, approximately two years before Kolodin was elected to the state legislature. He is currently running for secretary of state, the office that oversees Arizona's elections. The New York Times reported in July on Kolodin's candidacy and his positions on election administration.
Kolodin's next campaign milestone and any scheduled debates or primary dates were not specified in the source material.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 28/08/2026 01:51
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 28/08/2026 01:51. Every claim traces to a source.
