People on social media are questioning the actions of a Washington couple, calling it another example of weaponizing police against a Black man for no reason.
The unidentified man was sitting at a Rapid Ride bus stop in Tukwila, Washington, when two police SUVs pulled up, lights flashing. The accusing couple, a Latino man and Asian woman, had called the authorities over an alleged stolen bag. But when officers pressed them for details, they had nothing to offer.
With no physical or video evidence to back up the accusation, it came down to their word against the man’s, who simply wanted to catch his bus. One accuser told officers, “The only thing I witnessed was him going through the parking lot, and he had the bag on him.”
The Black man denied stealing anything. Still, a responding officer had already pulled on blue evidence gloves. The situation could have gone off the rails quickly if the second officer hadn’t stuck to procedure and verified the circumstances himself.
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A bystander who goes by “ghostgotti10letterz” on social media caught the stop on video. His motivation? “So bro can get a lawsuit,” he said, adding in the caption of his June 12 post: “Couple falsely accusing Black man of crime…they did bro trife.”
(@ghostgotti10letterz)
Unfortunately, the man is now the latest case in an exhausting pattern of non-Black callers being quick to dial 911 on African Americans without cause. The video also fuels concern that officers sometimes treat mere suspicion as proof of guilt.
Eagle-eyed Instagram users flagged several inconsistencies. One pointed to the Latino man: “Notice that the cops didn’t ask the guy with the cap to take his hands out of his pockets.”
Another asked: “Why is it so easy to believe that a Black person committed a crime, but a white person gets the benefit of the doubt even with overwhelming evidence?”
But some commenters gave a shout-out to the officer who “refused to violate that man’s rights—respect.” Many agreed with the original poster, saying the man could have grounds for a defamation lawsuit against the couple. As of this writing, no follow-up video has surfaced, and it’s unclear whether the man plans to pursue legal action or has simply moved on. What’s more certain is that he didn’t ask for any of this.