Texas police mistakenly hold Black family

by Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Police officers in Frisco, Texas, mistakenly held a Black family at gunpoint after a typo led them to believe their car was stolen.

The disturbing incident, which took place on July 23, was captured on multiple officers’ body cameras, and has sparked outrage and concern over racial profiling and police procedures.

The emotional footage showed members of the Frisco Police Department demanding the family exit their car.

The family, a husband, wife, son, and nephew, identified themselves, while the boys were identified as 12 and 13 years old.

One officer even pointed his gun at one of the children, eventually handcuffing him.

At one point during the ordeal, the officer who ran the incorrect plates admitted her mistake.

“It looks like I made a mistake. So I ran it ‘AZ’ for Arizona instead of ‘AR,’ and that’s what happened,” she said, according to the footage.

The gravity of the sit - uation hit the husband during the encounter, and he expressed his emotions, saying, “It could’ve gone all wrong for us, though. If I would’ve gone to reach for my phone, we could’ve all gotten killed,” before walking away in tears.

Frisco Police Chief David Shilson issued a statement in which the department admitted its error and vowed to accept responsibility.

“We will not hide from our mistakes. Instead, we will learn from them,” Shilson insisted.

Frisco is a city about 30 minutes north of Dallas.

The officer who ran the incorrect plates also admitted her error.