(Photo credit: Shutterstock.com / ArtOlympic)
A Black woman and her kids were traumatized by cops in Aurora, Colorado. The incident, which was recorded by a citizen, took place on Aug. 2 in the parking lot of a shopping center, according to The Denver Post.
The video shows the cops forcing the woman and her four kids to the ground as onlookers discuss how hot the pavement is.
“Why are you now placing these children on the ground face into the concrete? It’s hot. In front of all of us? Screaming at them. They are telling you they are hurt,” the person capturing the video said.
The officers were reportedly looking for a stolen motorcycle that allegedly had the same license plate number, but was registered in a different state.
The family was eventually released, but the Black woman and her kids had to endure a traumatic experience. Video of the ordeal soon went viral.
Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson issued an apology to the family and said the woman’s kids will be offered therapy.
“We first want to offer our apologies to the family involved in the traumatic incident involving a police stop of their vehicle,” Wilson said in a prepared statement. “We have been training our officers that when they contact a suspected stolen car, they should do what is called a high-risk stop. This involves drawing their weapons and ordering all occupants to exit the car and lie prone on the ground. But we must allow our officers to have discretion and to deviate from this process when different scenarios present themselves. I have already directed my team to look at new practices and training.
“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. I have reached out to our victim advocates so we can offer age-appropriate therapy that the city will cover.”
The Aurora @AuroraPD held this Black family at gunpoint in a stolen car mixup.
Listen to the cries of the terrified children.
This is inhumane, racist, and downright evil.
Only the trashiest among us will justify this. pic.twitter.com/2eXw6yqgAB
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) August 4, 2020
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