Police In Texas Hold Black Family At Gunpoint In Traffic Stop, Admit 'Mistake' Was Made
The Frisco, Texas, police department has apologized to a Black family from Arkansas whom officers pulled over on July 23 in a “high risk” traffic stop with their guns drawn.
A police statement said an officer mistakenly entered the code for Arizona instead of Arkansas when running the license plate of the black Dodge Charger, a vehicle brand that’s frequently stolen, Dallas-Fort Worth station KDFW reports. The computer search returned an incorrect registration that led officers to believe that the vehicle was possibly stolen.
Following standard procedures, the officers stopped the car on the Dallas North Tollway and ordered the occupants, including children, out of the vehicle at gunpoint, and placed the female driver in handcuffs.
But it turns out that the family from Little Rock was traveling to a basketball tournament in Grapevine, Texas in their own car.
"We made a mistake," Frisco Police Chief David Shilson said, according to KDFW. "Our department will not hide from its mistakes. Instead, we will learn from them. The officer involved quickly accepted responsibility for what happened, which speaks to integrity.”
“I’ve spoken with the family. I empathize with them and completely understand why they’re upset. I apologized on behalf of our department and assured them that we will hold ourselves accountable and provide transparency through the process. This incident does not reflect the high standard of service that our officers provide on a daily basis to our residents, businesses and visitors."
CBS News Texas reports that police body camera footage shows what happened when the officers pulled over the vehicle.
"Slowly exit the vehicle. Face away from us. (…) Turn around. Do not face us," an officer with his gun drawn toward the car says. "Everybody in the car – hands outside the window. (…) Driver, slowly lift up your shirt, only for us to see your waistband. Slowly spin around."
"If you reach in that car, you may get shot so be careful. Do not reach in the car," the officer yells after the driver tells him that her licensed handgun is locked in the glove compartment.
The footage shows an officer asking the mother about her license plate. She explains that the children in the vehicle are her son and nephew. It also shows her husband talking to a second officer, saying, "Listen sir, this is my wife's car. We're just in a basketball tournament."
His son, a sixth grader, is heard crying on the video. "I got conceal carry … Y'all put a gun on my son for no reason," the father says.
The ordeal ended when a police sergeant arrived at the scene and figured out that a mistake had been made.