A black South Florida District Judge, Illona Holmes, was held at gunpoint on Easter Sunday, as she and her family were the subject of a mistaken identity case. A neighbor called to report a suspected burglary, but the police went to the wrong house.
The police, who are accused of not identifying themselves, stormed the property of Holmes' sister, Carmita Scarlett, demanding everyone exit the home. Scarlett, who cried over the incident, says she looked through her kitchen window, only to see a man with a gun pointed at her, who she later discovered was a police officer.
Holmes, who is licensed to carry a weapon, drew her gun and ran forward, when she heard her sister scream, "There is a man with a gun and he's going to shoot me!" The judge then exclaimed, "Who are you? What are you doing?" and that's when they finally identified themselves as the police. A officer recognized the judge, after she identified herself and ordered his fellow policemen to lower their guns. The officer also temporarily confiscated the judge's weapon and removed the bullets.
The police officers then got into an argument with the family. According to Scarlett, the officers behaved as though they were the victims and not the family, who is upset they have not been given an apology over the incident. An officer who had a gun on Scarlett told her, "I was fearing for my life. Forget it - I'm out of here."
Judge Holmes has retained noted attorney, Kendall Coffey, to represent her in the matter, but has not disclosed whether she will file suit. In short, this family could have been killed and that is very serious. There seems to be a rash of police officers not identifying themselves as such, before approaching people in an aggressive, physical manner. That is a recipe for disaster.
STORY SOURCE
Police Confront Broward Judge at Gunpoint
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