Black Teen Falsely Accused Of Robbing White Grandmother: Report

WAUWATOSA, WI -- A black teen who was on his way home from church with his white grandmother and her white friend was arrested by Wauwatosa police after a passerby, who was also black, thought the teen was robbing the women and alerted police, according to police reports.

According to Wauwatosa police, an officer on patrol on Sunday, Sep. 2 just before noon was flagged down by a man, who said a black man was robbing two white women in the back seat of a blue Lexus. The man hurriedly pointed out the car to the officer, and the officer conducted a traffic stop.

Based on police dash camera footage that has been released to the public, police pulled over the car and shouted commands from a distance for the black teen to safely exit the car.

After a matter of minutes, police spoke with the women in the car, who indicated that the teen was, in fact, a family member and that the three of them were on their way home from church.

According to police reports, the teen was released within a few more minutes and the family was sent on their way.

Here was the exchange between the Wauwatosa police officer and one of the women in the car based on the police dashcam:

Officer: I apologize for that guy not knowing what he was talking about.

Woman: I'm sure he saw two old white ladies in a car with a black kid and made some assumptions.

Officer: Well, he was black as well, so I don't know ...

Woman: Oh my God. So then it's even worse.

According to a MSN report, the teen has retained an attorney, who claims that he was harassed. The report states that attorney Joy Bertrand has requested all documents from the police department related to the Sep. 2 traffic stop.

"After we take a look at whatever basis they have for stopping and harassing this family, we will be able to comment further," Bertrand said in the MSN report.

Wauwatosa police, said that officers were apologetic to the women and the teen over the incident, and that they had to act based on the comments made by the passerby - who left the scene before police could speak with him.

"Officers removed their handguns from their holsters based on the original information of a possible violent crime (robbery) in progress, but kept their weapons pointed in a safe direction during the stop," Wauwatosa police stated. "The officers acted professionally during the entire interaction."

Image Via Youtube Screenshot