Colorado cops detain black family thinking they were driving stolen car, spark outrage over racial profiling
Colorado law enforcement mistakenly detained and handcuffed a black family with children aged six to 17 believing their SUV was stolen. The moment Aurora Police arrested the driver and a group of four young girls outside a thrift store Sunday morning was recorded by bystanders and later shared on social media, where the footage went viral.
The family is seen in the shocking video lying on their stomachs with their hands behind their backs before officers escort them into police vehicles. The four children, aged six, 12, 14, and 17, are heard screaming and crying throughout the ordeal.
It later emerged that cops believed the vehicle had been stolen because it matched the license plate number of description they were given, only to realize they had stopped the wrong car and were actually on the lookout for a motorcycle with the same license plate number from Montana. This comes as nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice. The Aurora Police Department is already in hot water following the controversial death of 23-year-old black man Elijah McClain last August.
That said, the driver of the blue SUV has now been identified as Brittney Gilliam, who had reportedly been traveling with her nieces, younger sister, and daughter. Speaking to local station 9News, Gilliam said she had taken her family to get their nails done, but later found the salon was closed. When they returned to their car, they were surrounded by officers who reportedly had their guns drawn.
"There's no excuse why you [cops] didn't handle it a different type of way," Gilliam told the news station. "You could have even told them 'step off to the side let me ask your mom or your auntie a few questions so we can get this cleared up.' There was different ways to handle it."
Meanwhile, cops said they may have targeted the car by mistake as it had been reported stolen in a separate incident in February. The vehicle, however, was found the following day. Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson later apologized for the mix-up in a statement on Twitter.
"We have been training our officers that when they contact a suspected stolen car, they should do what is called a high-risk stop," she wrote. "This involves drawing their weapons and ordering all occupants to exit the car and lie prone on the ground."
"I have called the family to apologize and to offer any help we can provide, especially for the children who may have been traumatized by yesterday's events," Wilson added. "I have reached out to our victim advocates so we can offer age-appropriate therapy that the city will cover."
She revealed that an internal investigation into the incident is also underway. "The Aurora Police Department understands that this is concerning and traumatic for those involved and we again offer our apologies," APD said in a statement. Agent Faith Goodrich, a spokesperson for the department, explained that there was no "written policy" regarding when officers are supposed to use a "high-risk stop."
"Officers can use discretion based on the information they have at the time," she added.