A video of Texas cops interrogating a black father-of-six at an ATM has angered viewers.
The incident occurred at a gas station in Burleson, Fort Worth, Texas. Brian Friar, 39, had popped into the gas station to withdraw cash from an ATM when he was approached by a police officer on August 12.
Soon other White officers surround Frair, asking him to prove the cards in his wallet are his.
One of the officers demands to see Friar’s ID and ask him to prove that the credit cards in his wallet belong to him.
The cop says to Friar: “Prove to me that the rest of those cards are yours. You’ve got like ten there.”
Frair explains that he’s in a hurry to help his wife whose car has broken down but the cops refuse to let him go. They ask him to show all the cards in his wallet so they can match the names on the card to his ID.
At one point, one of the cops asks the man how he ended up in the suburb.
The video has renewed the conversation about racial profiling in the US.
Speaking after the video went viral, Friar said he filmed the exchange on his phone because he was frightened, saying: “I hadn’t done anything wrong. They ran my name as though I was a criminal.”
Frair with his wife and children
He added: “It was very racist to just come to me and ask me whose credit cards I had.”
Chief Cordell at Burleson Police Department confirmed the incident. He explained that the officers confronted Frair because they were approached by a patron in the convenience store who was in line behind Frair at the ATM and found it suspicious his transactions kept being denied.
In the video, Frair explains he forgot his pin number because he had so many cards. Police say the entire interaction lasted 6 minutes and they are happy to discuss the incident with the man.
Chief Cordell told Dailymail: “Our three officers had stopped in the QT to take a break and I am told were approached by a male (witness) who told them the gentleman was at an ATM machine attempting to get money while using multiple cards and that the transaction kept being denied.
“He said the man was acting suspicious. The officers approached the man, activated their body worn cameras and explained why they were contacting him.
“Officers observed multiple receipts and cards as described by the witness. Officers asked him if he minded sharing identification to match the name on the cards and he eventually provided identification and cards.”
Watch a video of the confrontation below.
