FRISCO, Texas — Police in Frisco, Texas, issued an apology after a family headed from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Grapevine, Texas, was pulled over in what the Frisco Police Department called a “high-risk stop.” Frisco is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. 

What You Need To Know

  • Frisco, Texas, police apologized after conducting a "high-risk stop" on a family from Little Rock, Arkansas, in error 

  • Police said an officer ran their Dodge Charger's plate as if it was from Arizona rather than Arkansas, leading the officer to believe the vehicle was stolen 

  • Members of the family were placed in handcuffs and officers had their gun drawn during the traffic stop 

  • “We made a mistake. Our department will not hide from its mistakes," Frisco Police Chief David Shilson wrote in a statement 

According to the department, on the morning of July 23, an officer noticed a black Dodge Charger with an out-of-state license plate leaving a hotel. The department said that because of a rash of burglaries and vehicle thefts in the area in which Chargers are frequently stolen, the officer ran the plate.

However, instead of Arkansas, where the family is from, the officer entered the plate as if the car was from Arizona. That led to the vehicle coming back with incorrect registration information, leading the officer to think the Charger was stolen.

The officer started the “high-risk stop” on the Dallas North Tollway. The department said that’s “standard procedure for stolen vehicles.” When backup arrived, the southbound lanes of the tollway were closed.

The stop was captured by an officer’s body camera. It shows the mother, who was driving the Charger, and her sixth-grade son were ordered out of the car.

Body camera footage shows an officer, with his gun drawn, order the woman to “open up your car door and step out of the car.”

The mother was put in handcuffs. She informed police she had a licensed gun in the glove compartment.

“If you reach in that car, you may get shot, so be careful,” the officer says to the mother. “Do not reach in that car.”

After about 10 minutes, a police sergeant arrived at the scene, realized a mistake had been made and ordered the officers to stand down.

“It looks like I made a mistake,” the officer who initiated the stop tells the family. “So I ran it AZ for Arizona instead of AR – and that’s what happened.”

The family, visibly shaken, were crying as police explained their error.

Police said an incident review was conducted the same day.

“A preliminary assessment provided guidance reemphasizing certain training points to include ensuring the accuracy of information entered by officers.  An ongoing review will identify further changes to training, policies, and procedures,” the department wrote in a news release.

Frisco Police Chief David Shilson issued an apology.

“We made a mistake. Our department will not hide from its mistakes. Instead, we will learn from them. The officer involved quickly accepted responsibility for what happened, which speaks to integrity. I’ve spoken with the family,” he wrote. “I empathize with them and completely understand why they’re upset. I apologized on behalf of our department and assured them that we will hold ourselves accountable and provide transparency through the process. This incident does not reflect the high standard of service that our officers provide on a daily basis to our residents, businesses and visitors.”