Colorado police apologise for detaining Black family

A Black family with children aged between 6 and 17 were detained at gunpoint after police mistakenly identified their car as stolen.

The driver, Brittney Gilliam, and four children were ordered to lie on the ground while some were handcuffed.

The Aurora Police Department has apologized for wrongfully accusing the family and children “who may have been traumatised”.

Gilliam told local news she did not want an “apology, I want change”, and called for better protocol.

Officers stopped the family because the license plate number of their four-wheel drive car matched that of a stolen motorcycle in another state.

After the stop, they realized their mistake.

The Aurora Police Department says an internal investigation has been opened.

According to local reports, Gilliam’s lawyer plans to file a lawsuit for excessive force.

This report was produced and edited by Al Jazeera NewsFeed’s Seena Khalil.

Source: Al Jazeera

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