Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo avoided a traffic ticket after allegedly running a red light in Las Vegas this spring, prompting questions from Democrats about whether the Republican leader had received preferential treatment.

At issue was Metropolitan Police Department body-camera video from May 15 that shows a police sergeant stopping the former Clark County sheriff for a suspected red light violation, then letting him go without a citation.

The video shows Lombardo in a Ford pickup truck near Mandalay Bay on May 15 with his wife, Donna, in the front passenger seat.

“Hello. How are you doing, sir?” the sergeant says upon approaching the pickup on the passenger side.

“Good,” the governor responds.

The sergeant introduces himself and says, “The reason I’m stopping you is for the —”

“I’m Joe Lombardo,” the governor says before the officer can complete his sentence.

“I’m aware,” the officer responds. “For the red light violation back there. Your right turn onto Giles —”

“Come on, man,” Lombardo interjects.

“You are good to go, sir. Appreciate you. Have a good day,” the sergeant states.

Following the release of the video by local media, the Nevada State Democratic Party issued a news release Tuesday that states, “Lombardo was caught using his position of power to avoid accountability after breaking the law and being pulled over by a Metro Police officer trying to do their job.”

Nevada Democrats were joined in their criticism by the Democratic Governors Association, which issued a statement saying the video “is more proof that Joe Lombardo is a corrupt and out-of-touch politician who thinks he can play by a different set of rules than everyday Nevadans.”

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate who will face Lombardo in the general election, declined to comment on the video and directed questions to the Nevada State Democratic Party.

Athar Haseebullah, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said in a statement sent by email that police should make all information related to the incident, including written communications and dashcam footage, available to the public promptly without charge or redaction.

“Hypocrisy from politicians isn’t exactly breaking news, but Governor Lombardo attempting to flex his political muscle after potentially running a red light would be an obvious example of an abuse of power, especially as his office continues to rail against Nevadans disregarding traffic laws,” Haseebullah said.

The governor’s campaign issued a statement Tuesday saying Lombardo and his wife were headed to Harry Reid International Airport.

“Two months ago, Governor Lombardo and his wife were briefly pulled over on their way to the airport by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department over a question about whether Governor Lombardo had come to a complete stop while turning. Governor Lombardo spoke with the officer, fully complied with all instructions, and was promptly on his way. He remains grateful for the professionalism of the officer involved and for the service of law enforcement officers across Nevada.”

The governor’s campaign also said he was not seeking special treatment by introducing himself to the sergeant as the sergeant was speaking.

“As the officer approached the vehicle, he introduced himself to Governor Lombardo, who responded in kind by simply saying, ‘Joe Lombardo,’ as a matter of courtesy,” the campaign said in an email. “At no point did the Governor invoke his office and seek — or expect — preferential treatment.”

The Las Vegas Police Protective Association, which has endorsed Lombardo and contributed to his campaign, provided a copy of the video to the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday. Steve Grammas, president of the union representing Metro officers, said Lombardo did not receive special treatment in the traffic stop.

“It is an absolutely nothing car stop,” said Grammas. “Thousands of those happen every month. We don’t write everybody a ticket.”

Grammas said the officer knew who Lombardo was and that he didn’t have outstanding warrants.

“The officer pulled him over,” Grammas said. “Immediately knows it is the governor, immediately doesn’t need to identify him because he knows who he is, knows he probably doesn’t have a suspended driver’s license and that, advised him why he pulled him over and told him to take care. If he wasn’t the governor, no one would care about the hundreds of other stops that are done the same way.”

Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.