Phoenix family demands justice after violent police stop
(NBC News) A Phoenix, Arizona couple held at gunpoint by police after an alleged shoplifting incident say apologies aren’t enough…and they’re planning to sue.
Dravon Ames said Monday that he feared his family would be “executed” by police when they were pulled over in early May shortly after leaving a Family Dollar store.
Video of the stop show officers pointing guns at Ames, his pregnant fiance Iesha Harper and her two young daughters.
The footage shows the officers threatening to shoot the pair if they don’t obey commands, and berating them with profanity.
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri William on Sunday made a public apology and said the behavior of the officers was “unacceptable.” The officers have been assigned to desk duty while the incident is investigated.
“It feels like it’s a half apology, the officers are still working,” Ames said. “It just basically a slap in the face. It’s like putting some lemon juice on an open wound. It’s hurting us even more that they’re still working, nothing is being done.”
In the aftermath of the video’s release last week, Phoenix police issued a report accusing the little girl of taking the doll and Ames of allegedly lifting a pair of underwear.
Police were notified by a witness not affiliated with the store.
Read more: https://nbcnews.to/2WMDNXy
