- Jurisdiction
- Texas
Today, as I was detained, in handcuffs, and questioned by police in the parking lot of a large discount store. My hair is mint and teal, and they had been told a green-haired woman had shoplifted from the store.
So, while I was taking my groceries to my car, a police suv swerved in front of me and said we needed to talk. I didn't understand what was happening. One officer got out and asked me if I had knew a reason someone would accuse me of shoplifting. By this point, I was completely lost. I shop at that store every other week, I've never shoplifted in my life, and I paid for my groceries only moments before.
I don't remember everything the officer told me, but no one ever said "freeze" or "stop." I think he just said something about needing to talk. I've never been arrested or anything before. I've only gotten traffic tickets, so it made sense to me to pull my cart out of the lane, out of traffic, behind my car, which was a few feet away.
Suddenly, the officer I had been talking to grabbed my wrist and said, Not today." That stood out for me because it was so surreal, and I was surprised he grabbed me. I thought I had been cooperating.
Another policeman appeared behind me and the first one told me to put my hands behind my back. About the same time, a second police vehicle pulled up, and I think there was even a third. Cops were everywhere. I'm 45 years old and petite--and completely innocent. I feel like this was pretty out of hand. It's the handcuffs that really bother me. So, they cuffed my hands behind my back. I was cooperative and polite, and had been the entire time. But it was terrifying.
I stood there like that for fifteen minutes getting sunburnt while my groceries thawed.
Meanwhile the cop that grabbed me asked permission to go through my purse to find my receipt. Of course, he found an old receipt first. (Because I'm a hardened criminal...or I shop there every other week and don't clean out my purse often.) Luckily, he did find the right one eventually, but they still didn't take off the cuffs.
Around that time the manager came out and showed them a cell phone and said it had been a mistake, because another woman had green hair. She gave me a gift card for $30 after I told her I wanted a coupon. I was no longer terrified by that point, just upset and wanted to go home. I was so afraid at first, though. Midway through, I realized that the credit card company would have proof of my transaction, and I thought the cashier would remember me because she liked all of my weird shopping bags, and we talked about cats. Until then, it was just disorienting and scary. This probably has no bearing on anything, but I have PTSD, and I think that's one of the reasons I became so confused initially. It was like my brain just shut down. At one point, when they asked me where my car was, I pointed with my head and called it by its make and bumper sticker. I couldn't even remember the model of my car, which I've owned since 1999.
Were the police within their rights to handcuff and detain me?
So, while I was taking my groceries to my car, a police suv swerved in front of me and said we needed to talk. I didn't understand what was happening. One officer got out and asked me if I had knew a reason someone would accuse me of shoplifting. By this point, I was completely lost. I shop at that store every other week, I've never shoplifted in my life, and I paid for my groceries only moments before.
I don't remember everything the officer told me, but no one ever said "freeze" or "stop." I think he just said something about needing to talk. I've never been arrested or anything before. I've only gotten traffic tickets, so it made sense to me to pull my cart out of the lane, out of traffic, behind my car, which was a few feet away.
Suddenly, the officer I had been talking to grabbed my wrist and said, Not today." That stood out for me because it was so surreal, and I was surprised he grabbed me. I thought I had been cooperating.
Another policeman appeared behind me and the first one told me to put my hands behind my back. About the same time, a second police vehicle pulled up, and I think there was even a third. Cops were everywhere. I'm 45 years old and petite--and completely innocent. I feel like this was pretty out of hand. It's the handcuffs that really bother me. So, they cuffed my hands behind my back. I was cooperative and polite, and had been the entire time. But it was terrifying.
I stood there like that for fifteen minutes getting sunburnt while my groceries thawed.
Meanwhile the cop that grabbed me asked permission to go through my purse to find my receipt. Of course, he found an old receipt first. (Because I'm a hardened criminal...or I shop there every other week and don't clean out my purse often.) Luckily, he did find the right one eventually, but they still didn't take off the cuffs.
Around that time the manager came out and showed them a cell phone and said it had been a mistake, because another woman had green hair. She gave me a gift card for $30 after I told her I wanted a coupon. I was no longer terrified by that point, just upset and wanted to go home. I was so afraid at first, though. Midway through, I realized that the credit card company would have proof of my transaction, and I thought the cashier would remember me because she liked all of my weird shopping bags, and we talked about cats. Until then, it was just disorienting and scary. This probably has no bearing on anything, but I have PTSD, and I think that's one of the reasons I became so confused initially. It was like my brain just shut down. At one point, when they asked me where my car was, I pointed with my head and called it by its make and bumper sticker. I couldn't even remember the model of my car, which I've owned since 1999.
Were the police within their rights to handcuff and detain me?