Alleged fast and furious Chattanooga cops identified

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (WDEF) – Chattanooga police identified the two on-duty uniform officers accused of drag racing in their patrol cars.

According to Capt. Zack McCullough who is a part of internal affairs for the Chattanooga police department, Officers Mikel Thomas and Mark Niethammer have come forward about their involvement in what appears on video to be an act of drag racing.

“They reported to their chain of command that they were the officers seen in the video,” McCullough said.

The video quickly went viral on social media after it was posted. Investigators told News 12 the video was shot Friday evening via cell phone by a man who has yet to be identified.

Judging by the angle in which the video was shot, it appeared the man was likely sitting in a nearby parking lot with an unobstructed view of the patrol cars speeding side-by-side down along a strip of Crutchfield Street.

If internal affairs deem the actions to be actual drag racing, both officers could not only lose their jobs but face criminal charges.

“Drag racing is a Class B misdemeanor according to state law. A conviction for drag racing would be based on proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” McCullough said.

Investigators only have the video to go on because neither officer has given statements to internal affairs. And the man who shot the video is reportedly not cooperating with police.

“We’ve made an attempt to contact him. He has chosen at this point not to come forward and give a formal statement,” McCullough said.

Investigators are also limited by the fact that none of Chattanooga’s police cars are equipped with GPS tracking devices that can also record speed and how the vehicles are driven; devices that are now found in many school buses.

“It’s something we would like to have. It’s something we’ve looked at in the past but it’s always been cost prohibitive,” McCullough said.

Until internal affairs determine a crime was committed or a policy was violated, both officers will remain on active duty.

Niethammer and Thomas have only been employed with CPD since the fall of 2013.