Colorado police have apologized for handcuffing a Black woman and two Black children during a traffic stop in a stolen car mix-up.
The children were ordered to lie face-down at gunpoint, according to reports.
Brittney Gilliam and her 6-year-old daughter, 12-year-old sister, and 14- and 17-year-old nieces were pulled over Sunday in Aurora, Colorado, and detained after their vehicle was mistakenly identified as stolen.
A Facebook video shows four of the family members lying face-down in a parking lot, surrounded by police. They can be heard crying in the video.
Aurora Interim Chief of Police Vanessa Wilson late Monday said she called Gilliam's family to apologize.
"We have been training our officers that when they contact a suspected stolen car, they should do what is called a high-risk stop," Wilson said. "This involves drawing their weapons and ordering all occupants to exit the car and lie prone on the ground. But we must allow our officers to have discretion and to deviate from this process when different scenarios present themselves.
"I have called the family to apologize and to offer any help we can provide, especially for the children who may have been traumatized by yesterday's events," Wilson continued, adding the department has offered "age-appropriate therapy that the city will cover."
Gilliam told CNN she was taking the girls to get their nails done.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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