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Homeowner moving in items during early hours handcuffed during Tonganoxie police patrol

By Associated Press - | Oct 4, 2018

TONGANOXIE (AP) — Body camera video shows an officer handcuffing a black man who was attempting to move a large-screen television into his new Kansas home in the dark.

The Kansas City Star reports that 61-year-old Karle Robinson said, while watching the video, “If I’d been a white man, you know that wouldn’t happen.” He was in handcuffs for eight minutes.

A Tonganoxie police officer encountered Robinson around 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 19. Robinson understood why the officer would be suspicious. But he said he had identification and offered to go inside with the officer where there was paperwork proving his new ownership.

Tonganoxie Police Chief Greg Lawson says the officer kept the right balance of courtesy and respect. The video ends with an officer helping Robinson carrying the TV inside the home.