Nearly two weeks after a powerful Cook County, Illinois Democratic tax official was arrested for drunk driving after crashing her car on Chicago’s North Side, and subsequently mocking the size of the arresting officers penis size, Chicago police have released the full bodycam footage of the arrest.
The footage is even more shocking than initial reports indicated.
Democratic leader Samantha Steele, 45, one of three commissioners on the Cook County Board of Review, made a wide turn from Winnemac Avenue onto Ashland Avenue around 8:49 p.m., striking a parked Dodge Charger that then collided with a Subaru Forester, officers said after their arrest.
Officers responding to the scene found “extensive” damage to both vehicles.
Police discovered an open bottle of red wine in Steele’s passenger compartment and noted her “bloodshot and glassy” eyes and strong alcohol odor on her breath.
The first-term commissioner refused field sobriety tests, police said.
“I want my lawyer, and I am not talking to you,” she told officers when asked about her drinking.
After complaining of head injuries, Steele was handcuffed and transported to a local hospital. When at the hospital, she mocked the arresting officer by continuously asking him if his ‘penis is that small’, according to police reports.
She summoned Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton to the hospital for legal help, though he later acknowledged he isn’t a criminal attorney and has referred her elsewhere.
In the bodycam footage, Steele appears to be belligerent and consistently attempts to use her position to bully police officers.
‘I’m an elected official. I don’t want any of this… I’ll wait for [my attorney to arrive],’ she says.
One of the responding officers alleges that she’s ‘hit several cars’ and Steele answers by holding up two fingers and saying: ‘Two.’
Eventually, a sergeant gets to the scene and warns her: ‘If you don’t exit the vehicle, I’m gonna help you to exit and you don’t want that.’
‘You don’t want that,’ Steele says, before repeating that she’s ‘an elected official.’
Steele, who twice used what the officers described as ‘small wrists’ to slip out of handcuffs, then demands: ‘I don’t wanna be on the video.’
‘You are on the video,’ answers one officer.
‘I’m waiting for my attorney,’ she repeats.
Watch the entirety of Steele’s arrest:
As previously reported by The Horn News, the incident adds to mounting controversies for Steele, who oversees property tax appeals in District 2, covering Chicago’s North Side and northern suburbs.
Elected in 2022 after working on County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s transition team, she faces a federal whistleblower lawsuit from aide Frank Calabrese and drew criticism for hiring a former Indiana politician who had pleaded guilty in a federal case.
Steele has also been embroiled in high-profile disputes, including contentious negotiations over the Chicago Bears’ property tax bill for their potential Arlington Park stadium site.
She defeated incumbent Michael Cabonargi in the 2022 Democratic primary to win her seat on the powerful tax appeals board after promising reform and transparency in the office.
Steele faces one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence. She has not responded to requests for comment about her December 27 court date.