Taraji P. Henson Apologizes for Racial-Profiling Allegation
Taraji P. Henson is apologizing to the officer whom she claimed racially profiled her 20-year-old son, who was pulled over in a routine traffic stop. A newly released dash cam video shows that the officer was fair and kind during the exchange.
According to TMZ, the Empire star claimed that her son, Marcel Johnson, was pulled over by a Glendale, Calif., officer who illegally searched his car, booked him for marijuana possession but did not charge him for the original infraction.
However, the video showed a different story. In the clip, the officer pulls Johnson over for allegedly failing to slow down at a crosswalk. When the officer proceeded to ask Johnson if he had anything illegal in his car, he confessed that he had some marijuana in his possession; the officer thanked him for being honest. The clip showed no signs of brutality or racially motivated malice aimed at Johnson from the officer.
Since the tape has been released, the Empire actress issued an apology to the Glendale Police Department via Instagram, writing, "I would like to publicly apologize to the officer and the Glendale Police Department. A mother's job is not easy and neither is a police officer's... As a mother in this case I overreacted and for that I apologize. Thank you to that officer for being kind to my son."
Despite this incident being proven as a misunderstanding, the same cannot yet be said for the second, which occurred at USC, where police allegedly stopped Johnson simply for "having his hands in his pockets." No video has yet been released clarifying the officer's motives on this occasion.
See a clip from the dash cam video below:
BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.
Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
(Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images)