Singer Sessi dragged out of car by police for 'driving with fake diplomatic tag'
Pop singer Cecilia Selina Mercado was arrested for allegedly driving a car with fake diplomatic license plates, but she claimed to be an 'ambassador at large' with 'immunity'
Cecilia Selina Mercado was pulled out of her vehicle and arrested after she was caught allegedly driving a car with fake diplomatic license plates.
The singer, who goes by the stage name Sessi, claimed to be an "ambassador at large" and told police she had "immunity rights". She was taken into custody by Sunny Isles Beach police on Tuesday evening after driving an Audi Q5 with fake diplomatic tags.
Mercado told officers she is a "diplomat", according to her arrest report. Video footage has been released from the moment she was arrested as she told officers the car was registered with the Department of State.
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A police officer can be seen holding her arm while asking her to step out. The passenger, who has since been identified as Scott Huss, then claimed Mercado is not a US citizen, despite the singer being born in New York.
Huss shouted at police, alleging they "don't have jurisdiction" over Mercado. The police then handcuffed Mercado after pulling her out of the car.
The Sunny Isles Beach police department later released a statement which read: "The female driver shown in the video was stopped by our officers for traffic violations. She then stated she had 'immunity'.
"She repeatedly refused to comply with officers' orders and was placed in handcuffs. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the diplomatic tag that was affixed to the car was counterfeit and the female driver was arrested for driving with a counterfeit tag."
The license plate on the car was then confirmed as "not a valid diplomat tag as a diplomat tag has several letters in addition to numbers" by a special agent from the Department of State, according to Local 10. Mercado was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Centre on charges of having a counterfeit registration, license plate or sticker on a motor vehicle.
She was released from jail on Wednesday on a $2,500 (£1,963) bond. She told reporters from Local 10 she was born in the Bronx, New York, and that she had not denounced her US citizenship.
She added: "They are not fake. They are completely registered to my private trust and my private vehicle which, by law, I am allowed to have a vehicle under a trust." However, the passenger spoke to 7News after the arrest and said: "He [the officer] unlocked the car, opened the car door, and grabbed Sessi by the arm.
"Her immunity is 100 percent authentic. The specifics can't be disclosed on public interview, however, the court case and the federal lawsuit will be public. They have no jurisdiction over you. She is not a United States citizen."
Mercado later took to Instagram and shared footage from her arrest. "Well all my friends and family show support on this for me!" she wrote on her Story.
The singer continued: "This Officer was out a line.... I will not give up and stand my ground too many things going on this world especially me, I have been such a community girl and so good to my community... not okay!
"I have family in NYC police department... it's not okay.. they wouldn't treat anyone like this." She then vowed to "get justice".
After being released from jail, Mercado was pulled over again after being picked up in a Mercedes Maybach which was also allegedly fitted with a counterfeit diplomatic license plate.. She was picked up by Huss and a driver identified as Andres Lopez.
Police noticed the tags were fake and asked Lopez to step out of the vehicle when they pulled him over. He resisted and police opened the car's window and dragged him out, handcuffing him as he was on the ground.
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