A Texas police chief is vowing that his department “will not hide from its mistakes” following the release of a chaotic bodycam video showing the moment a family incorrectly was held at gunpoint as a result of a law enforcement error.
The emotional scenes were captured on July 23 after the Frisco Police Department carried out what authorities described as a “high-risk traffic stop on the Dallas North Tollway.”
Officers had pulled over a black Dodge Charger under the belief that it was “possibly stolen,” but it turned out that its information had been entered incorrectly during a license plate check, according to the department.
“Y’all pulled a gun on my son for no reason!” a distraught father is heard telling responding officers after they admitted wrongdoing, mentioning how he and his family were from Arkansas and were traveling to a youth basketball tournament that morning.
“That’s my baby boy. We are good people. We are from Little Rock, Arkansas. We got a game at 9 o’ clock,” the father says at another point in the footage, identifying himself as the head coach of a sixth-grade boys team.
Frisco Police say the incident began when they noticed the vehicle leaving a hotel with an out-of-state license plate.
“Due to recent burglaries and vehicle thefts in which Chargers are frequently stolen, [an] officer conducted a computer check of the vehicle’s Arkansas license plate. However, when entering the information, the plate was mistakenly entered out of Arizona,” the department said. “The error resulted in an incorrect registration return, leading the officer to believe that the vehicle was possibly stolen.”
Police say a traffic stop then was conducted and the driver and a backseat passenger, seen on video to be a juvenile, were ordered out of the vehicle.
“About that time, a Frisco Police sergeant arrived,” police continued. “The sergeant realized the mistake and immediately ordered officers to ‘stand down’ and ended the high-risk stop.”
Fresno Police Chief David Shilson said in the wake of the incident that “we made a mistake” and “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,” he said in a statement. “I apologized on behalf of our department and assured them that we will hold ourselves accountable and provide transparency through the process.”
Footage released by Frisco Police shows an officer pointing his firearm at the vehicle and using a loudspeaker to address a juvenile who was ordered outside of it.
“Rear passenger, behind the driver’s seat. Open up your car door and step out of the car, slowly,” he says to the young man. “Face away from us, thank you. With one hand, lift up your shirt so we can see your waistband. Now slowly spin around.”
As this is ongoing, another officer interviewing the female driver of the vehicle, who identified herself as a mother traveling with her husband, son and nephew, tells police that a registered gun is inside a locked glovebox in the vehicle.
“Occupants in the car, leave your hands outside the car. We know there is a gun in there,” the officer with the loudspeaker is heard saying after learning that information. “If you reach in that car, you may get shot so be careful. Do not reach in the car.”
About three minutes later, that officer’s colleague tells him, “The wrong tag was written, this isn’t a stolen vehicle.”
“Alright, I’m taking my gun off of them,” he responds.
The father later is heard telling the officer that the situation is a “terrible experience,” as the juvenile who was ordered out of the vehicle is heard sobbing.
“I understand you have to do your jobs, man, but we are all legit,” he said.
The officer also is heard telling the juvenile, “We are so sorry that you had to go through that,” and described the incident as an “honest mistake.”
“Hey man, don’t let this affect your game,” he says.
The Frisco Police Department said an “ongoing review” of the traffic stop will “identify further changes to training, policies and procedures.”