Tyler Perry's April 1 Facebook post about police pulling him over was no April Fool's joke: The highest-paid man in entertainment is accusing a pair of white Atlanta police officers of racial profiling.
Four days later, Perry's post boasts more than 117,000 "likes," 21,000 comments, and 12,000 shares. Atlanta police have launched an internal investigation, E! News reports.
Perry's predicament began when he admittedly made a left turn from a far-right lane -- a trick his security detail taught him, to make sure he wasn't being followed, Perry explained on Facebook.
Two white Atlanta police officers pulled him over, but apparently did not realize they'd just stopped Tyler Perry.
When Perry explained his illegal turn was to make sure no one was tailing him, one officer allegedly asked, "Why do you think someone would be following you?" Perry said in his post.
Before Perry could answer, the second white officer started "banging" on his passenger's side window -- apparently taking issue with the window's tint, Perry told his fans.
As both officers "badgered" Perry about why he thought someone may be following him, Perry said he recalled his mother's advice:
"My mother would always say to me, 'if you get stopped by the police, especially if they are white policemen, you say 'yes sir' and 'no sir', and if they want to take you in, you go with them. Don't resist, you hear me? Don't make any quick moves, don't run, you just go.'"
But then a second police cruiser pulled up, and a black Atlanta policeman emerged. "He took one look at me and had that 'Oh No' look on his face," Perry recounted.
The black officer spoke "in a hushed tone" to the two white officers, Perry said. "After that, one of the officers stayed near his car while one came back, very apologetic."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/06/tagblogsfindlawcom2012-celebrityjustice-idUS59773884520120406The Cops Acted Stupidly... Not
Angels outfielder Torii Hunter takes a pass on creating a racial incident and having a beer summit:
LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Angels right fielder Torii Hunter had a frightening encounter with police at his Newport Coast home Wednesday afternoon, when two Newport Beach officers entered the house and escorted him upstairs -- with guns drawn -- so he could show them identification.
The incident began when Hunter accidentally triggered his home's alarm upon entering. A dispatcher called his wife's cell phone, but she was in Texas and didn't answer the call.
Hunter said he was lying on the couch watching TV when he saw two officers in his backyard approaching the back door.
"I saw the cops and turned around and they had their guns out, saying, 'Show me your hands!' " Hunter said. "I'm like, 'All right, I'm cool.' I had a pistol upstairs. I'm a licensed gun owner. I'm glad I didn't get it because I could have been shot. What would have happened if I went out there?"
Eventually they sorted out the ID and Mr. Hunter took to Twitter:
"I'm not upset that the cops did their job today. I'm actually glad they were protecting home," Hunter wrote.
The former Twins outfielder later added, "The cops that were here today had there guns drawn but pointed downward in for safety. Those guys handled the situation like trained cops."
http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2012/04/the-cops-acted-stupidly-not.html
