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Brittney Gilliam likely has a lawsuit on her hands after police in Aurora, Colo. treated her and four minors like brazen criminals from a Grand Theft Auto session. According to local reports, members of the Aurora Police Department, already in hot water over the questionable death of Elijah McCain, made an error in detained the woman and her family in a situation that should have been handled with professionalism instead of carelessness.

Local outlet 9NEWS reports that Gilliam was out and about with her younger sister, her daughter, and two nieces to enjoy a spa day at a local nail salon. Upon arriving at the establishment this past Sunday, they discovered that the salon was closed and thought they’d just be going about the rest of their day.

Instead, APD swooped down on Gilliam and the girls after her vehicle was reported as stolen. According to reports and eyewitness video, the officers found that the stolen vehicle report, a motorcycle we should add, matched the same license plate number but not the correct state. A group of people can’t ride a motorcycle unless we’re talking about circus performers, so again, why was this the response?

The children that accompanied Gilliam had an age range of 6-17, with officers placing some of the girls in handcuffs face down on blazing hot concrete. In the 9NEWS report, Gillam gave an account that should have been a far smoother confrontation.

“He’s like something about the car being reported stolen,” Gilliam shared. “And I’m like, ‘This happened months ago, you guys cleared it. We got to pick up the car the next day, the very next day, so I’m not understanding what’s going on.’”

Gilliam informed the outlet that her car was stolen earlier in the year, and thought that administrative detail was long settled since last February.

“There’s no excuse why you didn’t handle it a different type of way,” Gilliam stated, regarding the APD’s approach. “You could have even told them, ‘Step off to the side; let me ask your mom or your auntie a few questions so we can get this cleared up.’ There was different ways to handle it.”

Most unfortunate in this was the reaction fro, Gillam’s 14-year-old niece who feels that the APD has failed and will continue to fail her.

“It’s like they don’t care,” the teenager said. “Who am I going to call when my life is in danger?”

Who indeed.

The APD has issued a public apology to Gillam and the family, while also announcing it intends to investigate the situation.

Gillam has the good fortune of having legal representation via David Lane, a Denver lawyer who also represents the family of the aforementioned Elijah McCain.

There’s a certain song from a certain West Coast group that would fit in neatly here. Use your imagination.

Photo: Getty

Colorado Cops Under Investigation After Mistaking Black Family’s Vehicle As Stolen  was originally published on hiphopwired.com

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