Kirkland Fro-Yo Shop Owner Calls Police On 'Suspicious' Black Man

KIRKLAND, WA - A black man had to leave a local frozen yogurt shop recently after the owner called police on him. Now, the Kirkland police chief has said the department will investigate to see if the man was racially profiled.

The owner of the Totem Lake Menchie's called police on the man because he looked "suspicious" and had not bought anything. But the man was at the store supervising a visit between two people.

Kirkland Chief Cherie Harris in a statement Saturday morning asked the local community to not "draw conclusions" until the department's investigation is complete.

“Kirkland prides itself on being a safe, welcoming and inclusive community, and we take allegations of racial profiling very seriously,” she said. “It’s important not to draw conclusions before all the facts have been examined. The Kirkland Police department has already initiated an investigation of the incident to determine if proper protocol was followed.”

The incident happened on Nov. 7 around 5:30 p.m. Byron T. Raglund was at the Menchie's with an adult woman and her son. He told police he was there to supervise a visit between them.

According to a police report, Menchie's owner Ramon Cruz called police after seeing Raglund sitting in the store and not buying anything. Cruz told a 911 dispatcher his employees had been harassed recently, and they were worried Raglund was about to do the same.

"They're kind of scared ... he looks suspicious," Cruz told a 911 dispatcher, describing his employees' reaction to Raglund's presence.

When Kirkland officer Stephen Thomsson arrived at the store, he told Raglund about Cruz' request. Raglund told the officer he didn't think it was necessary to leave, according to the police report, but he decided to leave anyway.

The city of Kirkland in a press release Saturday provided the police report and 911 call surrounding the incident, two documents originally published by the Seattle Times.

The incident appears to fit with a pattern of black men and women accosted for doing an activity "while black." In April, the manager of a Philadelphia Starbucks called police on Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, who were waiting in the coffee shop for a business meeting. They were arrested, and the incident caused nationwide outrage.

Also in April, a woman called police after she spotted a group of black people barbecuing at a public park in Oakland, Calif. A video of the incident went viral.

In October, a white woman called police on a black man in Georgia because he was with two white children. Corey Lewis was babysitting the children, however.

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