A viral video posted to Facebook shows an innocent man being handcuffed and detained by the Virginia police while eating with his family inside the mall.
According to law enforcement, the video was taken Saturday, Dec. 19, inside Lynnhaven Mall.
The man ‘Jamar Mackey’ was handcuffed and escorted outside. The officer on the scene says the man matched the description of a suspect they were investigating for a crime. That description was an African American man with dreadlocks wearing all black and with a child wearing red.
Watch the video below, if you’re unable to view the video follow this link.
Chief Paul Neudigate says a review of the incident is underway to “determine the propriety of the response in this matter.”
Chief Neudigate also stated that there is no bodycam footage and the officer should have been wearing a face-covering due to the pandemic, and he’s extending an invitation to sit down personally with the man to hash things out.
“Certainly, anyone would be upset about being detained for something they didn’t do,” Neudigate said in a statement released on Sunday, Dec. 20. “While the video shows the officer stayed calm and respectful throughout the brief encounter, we must ensure the situation merits the response. We are gathering all the facts to evaluate the incident so we can address the concerns people have raised.”
The chief says it’s too early to say if the officer was right or wrong… but he says a third party may have identified the man to police as a potential suspect.
VBPD says it wants to know what the officer was told and what he knew before approaching the man in the mall… and the chief says he will be focusing on the initial approach and use of handcuffs to see if they were justified.