CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — Police in Chesterfield apologized to a man after falsely arresting him and that man claims the reason he was misidentified was because of his race.
Chesterfield police say they followed department protocol before identifying him as a suspect.
May 26 started off as a typical Saturday for Tresor Phanzu and his family. Phanzu said they were preparing for a trip abroad but that evening Chesterfield Police showed up at his door saying he was under arrest for shoplifting.
“Police said you were caught on tape stealing at one of the stores in Chesterfield. I felt badly handled, I felt accused," Phanzu said.
The store in question was Saks Off Fifth at the St. Louis Premium Outlet. Phanzu’s wife said it was one of the most embarrassing moments of their life.
“They took him in pretty much saying we got you on camera, we got you on tape, we know you did this,” she said.
Police said over a span of five days that week there were multiple calls concerning someone stealing from the store. The day before Phanzu was arrested an associate followed him out the store and took pictures of his license plate because they thought it was him. That same employee also identified Phanzu in a photo lineup.
“As we were leaving, I could just see my children looking at the window in tears,” Phanzu said.
Once he arrived at the police station officers showed him photos of who they thought was him. Chesterfield police soon realized they’d made a mistake.
“The first picture I looked at I was like 'This is not me, clearly the guy had pierced ears.' Then they pulled another picture, same thing again, this is not me,” Phanzu said.
He said the only thing they had in common was their race.
“The police went on to say well I’m so sorry this happened, this kind of stuff happens. It’s just embarrassing for the city of Chesterfield and the police department,” Phanzu said.
Police confirmed they expunged the arrest so it wouldn't show up on his record. However, the family said there will be further consequence for the popular retail store.
“We will not be shopping there, not only that but we thought of different ways to try and influence the conversation because this cannot be again another story and we move on,” his wife said.
