After pulling an innocent Black family over and holding them at gunpoint, a Texas police department is now conducting a review of the errors made by officers in the incident.
Body camera footage was later shared online by the Frisco Police Department, showing officers pointing their handguns at the family’s Dodge Charger, which was mistakenly suspected to be a stolen vehicle.
Police can be heard yelling at the driver to step out of the car with her hands raised, as well as ordering one of the children to step out and lift up their shirt.
The husband and wife, along with two children, can all be heard sobbing in the video. They had reportedly been traveling from Arkansas for a youth basketball tournament in Texas, which the kids were attending.
“I’ve never been in trouble a day of my life,” the driver says in the video. “This is scaring the hell out of me.”
“Listen, bro, we’re just here for a basketball tournament,” the man can be heard telling officers as he cries. “Y’all pulled a gun on my son for no reason.”
The traffic stop was initially triggered by an officer misreading the car’s license plate, mistaking an Arkansas plate for an Arizona one as the vehicle left a hotel in Frisco. When no results came up for the plate, the officers said they believed it was likely stolen.
“We made a mistake,” said Police Chief David Shilson, in a statement. “Our department will not hide from its mistakes. Instead, we will learn from them.”
The situation grows more tense in the video, when the driver reveals there’s a gun locked in her car’s glove compartment. But, after more than seven minutes, the officers realize their mistake and holster their weapons.
They then approach the car and apologize repeatedly to the family, explaining that the guns were drawn under the assumption the vehicle was stolen.
The officer who initiated the stop, also a Black officer, admitted to the mistake, saying that she ran the license plate as “AZ” for Arizona instead of “AR” for Arkansas.
With News Wire Services
