Police in Frisco, Texas are apologizing after human error mistakenly led them to pull over a family at gunpoint, mistakenly believing them to be driving a stolen car.
According to KTVT-TV, the incident occurred on July 23 when a family from Arkansas was traveling to Grapevine, Texas to attend a basketball tournament. Police pulled over their car during a routine traffic stop and ran their plates — but instead of running “AR” for Arkansas, they mistakenly entered “AZ” for Arizona, and got back a registration report from a car that (obviously) did not match the car they had pulled over. The officer then believed that the car in question was stolen, and initiated a “high-risk traffic stop.”
With that, a terrifying situation began to unfold for the unfortunate family, which was all caught on bodycam video.
‘We’ve made a mistake’: Frisco police mistakenly pull over family headed to a basketball tournamentwww.youtube.com
The officer in question then called for backup and closed the southbound lanes of the tollway. At least one officer pointed a gun at the car and commanded the car’s occupants to put their hands outside the car windows. Police then asked if there were any weapons in the car, to which one of the car’s occupants responded, “in the glove box.”
Police then instructed the family that if they reached into the car, “you may get shot, do NOT reach in the car.”
One of the adults in the car told KTVT that police cuffed her sixth-grade son and put him in the patrol car before the incident was over.
Another of the adults can be heard telling the police during the confrontation that, “I got conceal carry … Y’all put a gun on my son for no reason.”
After a sergeant arrived on the scene, it became evident that a mistake had been made, and the officer who made the mistake can be seen on camera apologizing to the family. “I ran it AZ for Arizona, instead of AR for Arkansas,” she says.
The father in the vehicle responded, “That’s a terrible experience. You all got to do your job, but we’re all legit.”
In a statement regarding the incident, Frisco Police Chief David Shilson said, “We made a mistake. 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.”
Shilson continued, “I apologized on behalf of our department and assured them that we will hold ourselves accountable and provide transparency through the process. This incident does not reflect the high standard of service that our officers provide on a daily basis to our residents, businesses and visitors.”