NOW.
NOW. AND
NOW. AND 13 NEWS NOW AT 6 STARTS RIGHT NOW. 13 NEWS NOW AT 6 BEGINS WITH BREAKING NEWS
IN VIRGINIA BEACH. POLICE JUST
ADDRESSED A VIRAL VIDEO OF A
SERGEANT HANDCUFFING THE WRONG
MAN IN LYNN HAVEN MALL OVER THE
WEEKEND CALLING IT TRAUMATIC
AND SAYING THEY COULD HAVE DONE
BETTER. WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT
WHAT HE DID? NOTHING. POLICE
HANDCUFFED DEMARRE MACKEY IN
THE FOOD COURT BUT LATER SAID
HE WASN'T WHO THEY WERE LOOKING
FOR. NOW THE COMMUNITY IS
DEMANDING ANSWERS. THANKS FOR
WATCHING. I'M NICOLE LIVES. AND
I'M DAVID ALLEN. JANET HAS THE
NIGHT OFF. 30 NEWS NOW IS TEAM
COVERAGE OF THE OUTRAGE. THIS
VIDEO HAS SPARKED ALI
WEATHERTON SPOKE TO THE MAN
INVOLVED. WE'LL HEAR FROM HER
IN JUST A MINUTE. BUT WE START
WITH EVAN WATSON WHO IS AT THE
POLICE NEWS CONFERENCES NOW
LIVE FOR US IN VIRGINIA BEACH
EVAN VIRGINIA BEACH POLICE
CHIEF PAUL NEWTOWN GATE IS
APOLOGIZING TO JAMAAL MACKEY.
THING HE UNDERSTANDS THIS WAS A
TRAUMATIC EVENT. THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT IS NOW INVESTIGATING
THE INCIDENT TO SEE IF IT WAS
AT ALL JUSTIFIED. NEWTOWN GATES
SAYS HIS OFFICERS WERE
RESPONDING TO A REPORT
OF STOLEN CREDIT CARDS THAT
WERE USED IN THE MALL AND THE
SUSPECT DESCRIPTION MATCHED
MACHI OFFICERS THEN DETAINED
AND HANDCUFFED MACKEY WHILE HE
ATE WITH HIS FAMILY AT THE MALL
WHEN OFFICERS REALIZED THEY
DETAINED THE WRONG PERSON. THEY
TOOK OFF THE HANDCUFFS AND
APOLOGIZED TO GATES, SAYS
ANOTHER PERSON WITH DREADLOCKS
WAS ARRESTED FOR CREDIT CARD
FRAUD. THE CHIEF SAYS THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT IS NOW
INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT.
LOOKING AT CURRENT POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES, HE SAID NO 1 WANTS
TO BE HANDCUFFED IN FRONT
OF THEIR FAMILY AND APOLOGIZED
FOR THE DISCOMFORT. WE HAVE TO
BE ABLE TO APOLOGIZE WHEN OUR
ACTIONS GREATLY INCONVENIENCE A
MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY THAT WE
SERVE. SO LET ME TAKE THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO PERSONALLY
EXTEND MY APOLOGY TO MR. MACKEY
FOR THIS INCIDENT. AS A RESULT,
WE ARE FOCUSING ON 2 MAIN AREAS
WAS THE INITIAL APPROACH AND
STOPPED JUSTIFIED AND WERE THE
USE OF HANDCUFFS JUSTIFIED TO
FEDERAL VIRGINIA BEACH POLICE
DEPARTMENT IS STILL
INTERVIEWING PEOPLE INVOLVED IN
THIS INTERVIEW, INVOLVED IN
THIS INCIDENT AND GATHERING
FACTS AS PART OF THE
INVESTIGATION. THEY'RE ALSO
TRYING TO GET MORE VIDEO FROM
THE MALL. HE SAID THAT
INVESTIGATION NEEDS TO BE
FINISHED BEFORE THEY REVIEW OR
MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE POLICY
AND PROCEDURE THAT HE MENTIONED
EARLIER. HE ALSO ASKED MR.
MACKEY TO CALL THE VIRGINIA
BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT SO HE
COULD APOLOGIZE IN PERSON. AND
1 MORE THING REGARDING THE
OFFICERS NOT WEARING MASKS IN
THE VIDEO THAT'S GONE VIRAL ON
SOCIAL MEDIA TO GET SAID THAT
IS AGAINST DEPARTMENT
OF REQUIREMENTS AND THAT WILL
BE QUOTE ADDRESSED. REPORTING
LIVE IN VIRGINIA BEACH CITY
HALL. IVAN WATSON FOR 13 NEWS
NOW. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING
THAT, IVAN. A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE
TALKED ABOUT THAT. WELL, ALI
WEATHERTON PICKS UP OUR TEAM
COVERAGE NOW. SHE SPOKE TO THE
PRESIDENT OF THE VIRGINIA BEACH
AND THEN LACY ACP AND THE MAN
WHO WAS WRONGLY CUFFED. JAMAL
MACKEY TOLD ME OVER THE PHONE
HE WENT TO DO SOME CHRISTMAS
SHOPPING ON SATURDAY WITH HIS
FIANCEE, THEIR NEWBORN BABY AND
13 YEAR OLD SON. BUT HE SAID
WHAT HAPPENED INSIDE THE MALL
FOOD COURT IS SOMETHING HE'LL
NEVER FORGET. SEVERAL LOCAL
LEADERS ARE SPEAKING OUT WAS
JUST WRONG AND IT WAS WRONG FOR
A NUMBER OF REASONS. VIRGINIA
BEACH AND DOUBLE ACP PRESIDENT
DR. KAREN PRUDENT IS TALKING
ABOUT THIS VIDEO NOW VIEWED
MORE THAN 1 POINT 5 MILLION
TIMES. WHAT DO YOU DO? IT SHOWS
A VIRGINIA BEACH POLICE OFFICER
DETAINING JAMAL MACKEY.
MACKEY'S FIANCEE PICKED UP HER
PHONE AND STARTED FILMING. WHAT
HE DID NOTHING. WE DON'T EVEN
HAVE A BLACK. MACKEY SAID
POLICE WRONGLY ACCUSED HIM
OF USING STOLEN CREDIT CARDS.
VIRGINIA BEACH POLICE SAY THE
OFFICER HANDCUFFED A PERSON WHO
MATCHED THE DESCRIPTION OF THE
REPORTED SUSPECT. OUR FAMILY I
GOT MY BABY HERE NEWBORN. THEY
EVENTUALLY TOOK MACKIE OUT
OF THE HANDCUFFS AND APOLOGIZE
TO HIM AND HIS FAMILY. I
SINCERELY APOLOGIZE. IT WAS ME
THAT WAS SO EMBARRASSED THOSE
IS 1 OF THE REASONS WHY
COMMUNITY MEMBERS DISTRUST
POLICE WHY OUR COMMUNITY DO NOT
TRUST THE POLICE. DR. PRUDENT
CALLED THE VIDEO CONCERNING AND
UPSETTING AND SAID CHANGE IS
NEEDED NOW IS THE CHART. BUT MY
MY LOVE TO SEE CHANGE IS EVEN
HIGHER THAN MY EMPATHY LEVEL
BECAUSE