Body camera shows Atlanta City Council member’s encounter with police over marijuana possession

ATLANTA - An Atlanta police officer placed Atlanta City Council member Antonio Lewis in handcuffs and cited him for possessing a small amount of marijuana earlier this month.

The body camera obtained by FOX 5 on Tuesday shows the 20-minute interaction after the police officer pulled him over, allegedly for suspended registration on his car.

Atlanta police smell weed inside Atlanta City Council member’s car

It happened around 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 2 in a gas station parking lot along University Avenue.

Officer-worn body camera video shows the officer telling Lewis to get back into his car. Minutes after the officer begins talking with him, the cop gave him an ultimatum.

"I’m going to be honest with you, I smell marijuana coming out of your vehicle," the officer says in the video."You have two options: you can either give it to me and will be cool or I’m gonna give you a ticket for it, or I’m gonna bring dogs and all that s---, and I’m gonna find all of it."

Lewis: "Yes sir."

A moment later, Lewis pulls out what the police report describes as an unsmoked blunt filled with four grams of marijuana. 

Atlanta City Council Member Antonio Lewis was cited for marijuana possession during a traffic stop along University Avenue on Feb. 2, 2024. (Atlanta Police Department)

Officer Kenneth Wilson then told Lewis to get out of his car and put his hands behind his back.

But he never went to jail. Instead, he sat in the officer’s patrol car while he wrote a ticket.

Lewis is not heard mentioning his position as an elected official until then.

"You said you’re a city councilman?" the cop is heard saying in the footage. "Well, make sure you tell everyone Officer Wilson treated you fairly."

Atlanta City Council Member Antonio Lewis was cited for marijuana possession during a traffic stop along University Avenue on Feb. 2, 2024. (Atlanta Police Department)

He handed Lewis two citations: one marijuana possession and the other for a suspended registration before being sent on his way.

Lewis did not respond to requests for comment on this story.

Atlanta City Council member wasn’t arrested for marijuana possession

"If he was 20 minutes in either direction, he would’ve been in jail," said Scotty Smart, a community organizer with the New Georgia Project who is focused on correcting racial inequalities when it comes to marijuana laws.

Scotty Smart, who is a community organizer for the New Georgia Project, wants to correct racial inequalities seen in Georgia’s marijuana laws. (FOX 5)

Having less than an ounce of weed in Atlanta hasn’t been an arrestable crime since 2017.

Smart is pushing for full legalization, but for now says a ticket is better than jail. 

"It is better than the alternative, so it does show we’re working and moving in the right direction," Smart said.

Atlanta decriminalizes marijuana possession

The Atlanta City Council decriminalized the possession of marijuana up to an ounce. In a unanimous vote in October 2017, the council voted to reduce the severity from an arrest to a simple citation.

Then-Mayor Kasim Reed touted the move as a reallocation of resources to "stopping and preventing violent crime."

Atlanta City Council Member Antonio Lewis was cited for marijuana possession during a traffic stop along University Avenue on Feb. 2, 2024. (Atlanta Police Department)

Still, the move did not legalize marijuana in the city but changed it to a $75 fine.

Other cities across Georgia soon followed, including Savannah, Clarkston, South Fulton, Forest Park, Kingsland, Statesboro, Macon-Bibb County, Augusta, Chamblee, Tybee Island, Athens-Clarke County, Stonecrest, and East Point.

While those municipalities change their local ordinances, those who possess less than an ounce can still be charged under Georgia statutes. Those in violation would be booked into jail and charged with a misdemeanor.

Punishment for possession in Georgia is up to a year incarcerated, up to a $1,000 fine, or both.