Oklahoma State Senator Regina Goodwin, a Tulsa Democrat, was briefly handcuffed and detained on January 11 after refusing to hand over her driver’s license during a traffic stop. Body camera footage shows a heated exchange with Tulsa County Sheriff’s Deputy Freddie Alaniz, who alleged she ran two stop signs.
Goodwin exited her vehicle and argued with the deputy, accusing him of escalating the situation. Alaniz repeatedly asked for her license, warning he could arrest her if she refused. The footage captures both disputing the events, with Goodwin denying she withheld her license and Alaniz insisting she had refused multiple requests.
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After the heated exchange, Deputy Freddie Alaniz arrested State Sen. Regina Goodwin and placed her in his patrol vehicle. Her attorney, Mike Manning, who witnessed the incident, urged the deputy to issue a citation instead.
Alaniz agreed, stating, “I don’t need to ask her 10 times for her driver’s license,” but emphasized he was in charge of the stop. He explained that Goodwin had run two stop signs and initially intended to give her a verbal warning but cited her uncooperative demeanor as the reason for escalation.
Alaniz later called his superior, describing Goodwin’s driving as reckless, noting she sped through stop signs and splashed water from puddles. Goodwin, elected to the state Senate in 2024 after a decade in the House, was released with a citation for failing to stop at a stop sign. She faces a court date on February 25 unless the ticket is paid beforehand.
