A black man was wrongfully arrested at the Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach on Saturday because officers say he matched the description given of a reported credit card thief, the New York Post reported Tuesday.
Jamar Mackey, his fianceé Shantel Covil and their children were eating lunch when a police official accused Mackey of being a credit card thief and handcuffed him despite Mackey and Covis disputing the officer’s claims, the Post reported. The officer said Mackey matched the thief’s description of a black man dressed in all black with dreadlocks accompanied by a child wearing red.
“You’re doing this in public? We can’t walk outside? In front of my family?” Mackey asked the officer, video shows.
“Listen, I’m going to explain all of this,” the officer told Mackey. Covil asked “what did he do?” while recording the incident she later posted to Facebook.
WATCH:
Mackey demanded that the officers release him once they got outside, video shows. (RELATED: An Innocent Naked Woman Whose Home Was Wrongly Raided By Police Had To FOIA For The Evidence)
“We in here with our family. This is so fucking embarrassing. We are with our family. I got my baby here, a newborn. What are you doing?” Mackey asked the officer, video shows.
The officers removed the handcuffs after verifying Mackey was not the suspect, video shows.
“That’s why we fighting for this shit now! This is how we get treated in 2020!” Mackey said, video shows. “This what we march for! This is why we say Black Lives Matter! Look at how y’all treat us! In front of people!”
Mackey said he was most upset about his 13-year-old son being present for the arrest, the Post reported.
“It was a very traumatic experience for our family that we wouldn’t wish on anyone,” Covil said in a Facebook post.
The Virginia Beach Police Department apologized to Mackey and announced an investigation into the incident during a Monday press conference.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.