Tennessee officer pulls family over, spreads Christmas cheer

(WAFF) - A routine traffic stop in Tennessee turned into an opportunity to spread cheer on Christmas.

Sarah and James Caperton were driving to visit relatives on Monday when an officer with the Decherd Police Department pulled them over.

"We immediately knew we were getting pulled over because we were going slightly above the speed limit," said Sarah Caperton.

Decherd, which is located 40 miles east of Fayetteville, happens to be where officer Tristian Delacruz made a high-profile stop before talking with the Caperton family.

"The conversation started with a Merry Christmas from both parties and we knew it was only going to get better from there," said Caperton.

Delacruz let the family off with a warning before turning his attention to the family's two boys in the backseat.

A video posted to Facebook says Delacruz explained that a speeding Santa Claus had already made his way through Decherd that night.

"I told [Santa] he had to slow it down just a tad bit," said Delacruz. "He said, you know what? You're going to pull over a black Toyota today for their speed and their going to have two younger boys in their car, and I want you to give them this."

He gave the thankful boys a pair of toy cars and an action figure.

"Officer Delacruz was extremely kind and helped bring a little more Christmas cheer to our day," said Caperton. "[The video] was a good opportunity to remind people of the sacrifice some people have to make on holiday when they can not be with their families as they are helping protect ours."

Caperton originally published the video for family and friends, but later made it public on Facebook after seeing the overwhelming response from the community.

"A cousin in Fayetteville happened to know Officer Delacruz and shared the video with him," added Caperton. "I think that's the coolest part of the story. He is able to see all of the positive comments!"

Delacruz commented on the video saying, "The best part about law enforcement is the smile you can put on peoples face!"

[WATCH: Traffic stop leads to Christmas cheer]

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