A Black man in Indianapolis says he was shopping with while Black when a cop confronted him and accused him and his cousin of “acting suspicious.”
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Now that officer, Daryl Jones, who worked for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, has been fired. Aaron Joseph, the victim, said he and his cousin endured a racist encounter with the white cop while shopping at a Nordstrom Rack store, WTHR reports.
According to Joseph, Jones was off-duty and followed him and his cousin in the store while they shopped. Not only did he follow them, but also left when they did. He even followed them to their car where he confronted them. Joseph said just as he was about to leave, he asked Jones “Why he was being invasive?” And he said Jones replied, “Because you’re acting suspicious.”
The whole ordeal was caught on video with Jones demanding that Joseph show his ID.
“Get your driver’s license out now or I will lock you up,” Jones said.
“For what?” one of the men asked.
“Because I told you to,” Jones said.
Joseph them requested to talk to one his Jones’ superiors. Only then did Jones tell him that he was “off-duty.”
“I got my rights to do anything I want to do. I’m a police officer,” Jones shared with the men.
Eventually another Indianapolis Metro police officer responded to the harassment. With his permission, the two men were allowed to leave after being told “as far as I’m concerned, you guys are good to go.”
Jones’ was reportedly fired within two hours after his superior got wind of the video.
“Just because a real police officer showed up and realized we did nothing wrong and sent us on our way doesn’t vindicate how we were treated,” Jones said.
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“I feel like the IMPD officer should have at least given us a way to file a complaint or some kind of victims card. He did make suggestions, but we still have been violated and did nothing wrong,” he added.
And Joseph is reviewing his options to file a lawsuit.
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