A white "back the blue" family was speeding their dog to the veterinarian after it had been hit by a car. When stopped by the police, they assumed white privilege and that cops would escort them to medical care. Instead, they found themselves held at gunpoint as their dog died.
Bodycam video shows the cop's report as inaccurate, and the family seems likely to sue. I wonder if they now understand why so many people fear the police.
KRQE:
"I imagined if he was going to pull me over for speeding, I'd pull over," Albrecht told KRQE. "He'd say something to me and then maybe even help us get there. You know, I've heard of stories like that before, but that didn't happen."
Police video from the officer's lapel footage shows what did happen. Officer Jeramie Nevarez is seen pointing his gun at Albrecht as he shouts, "Driver, step out of the vehicle!"
The officer continues shouting commands at Albrecht, who has his hands in the air. "Face the f*** away from me!" The officer shouts. Lapel video shows Officer Jeramie Nevarez ordering Albrecht out of the car at gunpoint, and telling him to walk backward toward traffic.
"Step back! Step f****** back! Go to your left!" Officer Nevarez is shouting, as cars pass by them on the busy road. "My dog's gonna die!" Albrecht tries to explain to the officer, who doesn't approach the family's vehicle.
Cue the outrage:
"And none of them seemed to even care at the moment at all," Albrecht told KRQE.
"I would never put my son in a position like that, ever," said Albrecht. "I back the blue. I support the blue. Like, I always want to show him that, you know, you submit to these guys. That you're supposed to be able to trust them."
He and his family said they couldn't believe how they were treated. "What did we do to warrant guns being pointed at our head?" Albrecht asked. "Pointing a loaded gun at a man's head, it's a threat, you know? And I didn't feel like I earned that threat."
The ACLU will be representing the family.
