Video footage of police officers in Frisco, Texas pulling guns on an innocent Black family after making an error while running their plates sparked outrage online.
On July 23, the officers noticed the family's Dodge Charger with out-of-state license plates leave a hotel and decided to run the plates.
The car belonged to a family from Little Rock, Arkansas who were on their way to a basketball tournament in nearby Grapevine.
However, when inputting the information, the officers entered the plates as being from Arizona instead of Arkansas which lead them to believe the vehicle was stolen.
A "high-risk traffic stop" was then initiated on the Dallas North Tollway.
Bodycam footage shows the driver of the vehicle—the mother of one of the boys in the car—being ordered out by the officer.
The officer said:
“Slowly exit the vehicle. Face away from us. Turn around. Do not face us.”
“Everybody in the car—hands outside the window. Driver, slowly lift up your shirt, only for us to see your waistband. Slowly spin around.”
The officer continued:
“If you reach in that car, you may get shot so be careful. Do not reach in the car."
The driver of the vehicle alerted the officers she had a licensed handgun locked in the glove compartment.
The video also shows the driver explaining the two boys in the back seat are her son and nephew as her husband tried to explain they were participating in the basketball tournament.
You can watch the full video below.
To say that viewers of the footage were outraged is an understatement, many noting that if the family was white, the plates probably wouldn't have been run in the first place.
On Friday, Frisco Police Chief David Shilson said in a statement:
“We made a mistake."
“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.”
The statement concluded:
“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."
