A couple by the names of Iesha Harper and Dravon Ames are suing the city of Phoenix, AZ after footage has emerged of police officers drawing a gun and threatening to shoot them, after their four-your-old daughter allegedly left a store with a 99 cent doll.
In the video, which has since went viral, an overzealous officer is seen screaming and yelling at Harper, who not only has a child in her hand, but also reveals to officials that she is pregnant. The officer prompts and threatens Harper to put her hands up, despite her own protest that she is carrying a child in her arms, and can not do so. Both Ames and Harper can be seen attempting to comply with officers as best as possible, while being yelled at, threatened and physically attacked.
BREAKING: New video shows a deranged cop threatening to shoot a Black mother dead because her 4-year-old toddler “stole” a 99 cent Barbie from a dollar store. UNBELIEVABLE! THIS IS AMERICA… #Racism #PhoenixPD #BlackLivesMAtter #ThisIsAmerica pic.twitter.com/bFZ1jcj9cE
— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) June 14, 2019
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In a statement to CNN, Ames and his fiancè Harper told the news outlet that they hadn’t realized their daughter walked out with the Barbie. Not long after leaving the Family Dollar store, Ames said that he and his partner arrived at a nearby apartment complex to drop the little girl off with a babysitter. Ames claims that not long after they pulled into the lot of the complex, an officer came over to their car window, yelling and threatening to kill them.
“Our hands are up, we’re just trying not to get shot, trying to stay calm. He had a gun drawn,”Ames told CNN. Ames also adds that there were no sirens to indicate they were being pulled over, nor did the officer pointing the firearm identify himself immediately as an cop.
“I really thought he was gonna shoot me in front of the kids,” Harper told CNN. She also states that, in the moment, she handed her two children off to a “complete stranger” because she did not trust the police to have them.
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The incident took place on May 29, however, police claim to have only been made aware of the video on June 11, and are investigating the matter.
“The Phoenix Police Department takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and for this reason, this incident is currently being investigated by the Professional Standards Bureau,” the department said in a follow-up statement to the news station.
Ames and Harper are suing the city for $10 million.
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