Jon-Christopher Sowells was looking to purchase a new BMW and became a victim of racial profiling. According to reports, Sowells decided to test-drive a BMW in Snellville, Ga. But moments after Sowells drove out of the Philips Motors parking lot, a police officer began following him.
Once Sowells stopped, the police officer questioned him about why the vehicle didn’t have tags. Sowells told the police officer that he was test-driving the BMW and presented him with a document to back up his claim. However, the officer didn’t know what it was and refused to look at it.
The officer then became belligerent and told Sowells to get out of the car. The car dealer was eventually contacted and verified that Sowells had permission to test-drive the car. However, the police officer continued his pettiness and decided to arrest Sowells anyway. Sowells, who had never been arrested before, was charged with obstruction.
While police officers are needed to protect and serve, it’s important that they are given intense training when it comes to racial profiling and handling situations with fairness. It’s also critical for officers who overstep those boundaries to be reprimanded.
The situation would have been handled properly if the officer hadn’t allowed race and petty thinking to cloud his judgement.
