Phoenix Mayor Apologizes After Police Draw Gun On Family After Child Takes Doll

(NPR) Bobby Allyn June 16 2019 11:56 AM The mayor of Phoenix is apologizing to the city following recently released video showing police officers pointing their guns and threatening to shoot a 22-year-old father who was with his pregnant fiance and two young daughters. Police say they were investigating allegations that one of the children had shoplifted a doll from a Family Dollar store. Viral footage of the incident captured by bystanders has already prompted an internal police probe a $10 million civil rights claim and a chorus of fury on social media. Now Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego says the police officers actions were completely inappropriate and clearly unprofessional calling the recordings beyond upsetting. I am deeply sorry for what this family went through and I apologize to our community Gallego said on Twitter Saturday evening. This is not who we are and I refuse to allow this type of behavior to go unchallenged. The episode happened last month when Dravon Ames 22 and his fiance Iesha Harper 24 along with their two young daughters London Drake 1 and Island Drake 4 visited a Family Dollar store. Unbeknownst to the parents one of their daughters swiped a doll from the store without paying for it. Police say they were tipped off about the alleged shoplifting by a store employee just as the familys car was leaving the parking lot and police followed the car without ever activating lights or sirens. Police eventually cornered the vehicle in the apartment complex of the familys babysitter. A heated standoff ensued. Cell phone videos taken by witnesses show officers shouting profanities at the family as officers order that they put their hands up. If they did not comply an officer can be heard saying youre gonna f***ing get shot. Get your f***ing hands up! Police wrote in an incident report that they feared the mother was hiding something or was reaching for a gun. (No weapons were recovered from the family.)