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FRISCO, Texas – A distressing traffic stop occurred when two White officers from the Frisco Police Department pulled over a Black family on the side of a busy freeway, pointing their guns at them and even handcuffing their Black teenage son, according to recent reports. The incident took place on July 23 while the family was on their way to a basketball tournament.
It all started when the officers from the Frisco Police Department ran the car’s license plate the family was driving.
When the officer ran the family’s plates, he entered the wrong information, mistakenly registering the plate as from Arizona. The car had a valid Arkansas license plate and proper vehicle registration. This error led the officers from the Frisco Police Department to believe the vehicle was stolen, resulting in their escalated and unreasonable response.
The body camera footage from the Frisco Police Department officers reveals the terrifying moment when the officers held the family at gunpoint. They ordered the family to step out of the car and demanded the driver, a woman, to turn away from them, lift her shirt to expose her waistband, and walk backward.
The Black woman repeatedly tried to clarify that the car belonged to her and that they were from Arkansas, but her pleas seemed to go unheard as Frisco Police Department officers yielded their commands and proceeded to handcuff her son.
Mother’s Pleas: An Emotional Cry for Her Son’s Safety
During the ordeal, the woman expressed her distress toward the two officers from the Frisco Police Department, fearing for her son’s well-being and questioning why such aggressive actions and tone were necessary.
“Please don’t let them do that to my baby; this is very traumatizing. Why is my baby in cuffs? What are you all doing? Do not treat my baby this way,” the mother pleaded with the White police officers from the Frisco Police Department.
The police officers ordered the Black father, who was seated in the passenger’s front seat. Unable to open the car door due to the freeway’s medium wall, he climbed over the driver’s seat.
Pleading, while visibly crying for the safety of his family, he says, “Listen. Listen, Sir. This is my wife’s car. We are just here for a basketball tournament. This is my son. Don’t do this to my son.”
The father walks over to the Frisco Police Department officers and shows his driver’s license and license-to-carry.
The two officers from the Frisco Police Department then tried justifying why they pulled the family over, but the father injected his utter frustration.
“Y’all pulled a gun on my son for no reason,” the father says distressingly.
Admitting the Mistake: Frisco Police Department Acknowledges Error
After realizing their grave mistake, the Frisco police officers admitted to it and expressed regret to the family. They acknowledged the error and apologized for the traumatic experience they had caused the now terrorized Black family.
“We ran a tag. The tag came back stolen, but it was the wrong [tag],” the officer explained.
The Chief of the Frisco Police Department, David Shilson, stated, “We made a mistake. And our department will not shy away from admitting when we are wrong. Instead, we will learn from this incident.”
The family’s attorney, David Henderson, strongly believes that the officers engaged in racial profiling and violated the family’s constitutional rights. He noted that when individuals of color inform the police that they possess a valid license to carry firearms, law enforcement’s behavior often changes drastically and unfairly.
Notably, since September 1, 2021, the enactment of HB1927 in Texas has granted legal permission for individuals aged 21 and above to carry a handgun in a holster without requiring a permit, whether openly or concealed.
Incidents like this continue to raise concerns about law enforcement’s treatment of Black people the US. It underscores the importance of holding officers accountable for their actions.
The officer who ran the plate was a black female not a white male! But what I would like to know is what precipitated the initial running of the plate? It was done after the family left the parking lot of a hotel.