I didn't see that, sir. >> Man, you saw what you wanted to see. You saw a mother with tattoos. Why would I be holding the gun like this right here? Hey, who? >> Man, you saw what you wanted to see. >> At a Circle K gas station in Alabama, a routine stop for gas turned into a tense confrontation when a police officer mistook a man's gesture with a gas pump nozzle for brandishing a firearm. The officer's assumption that the man was holding a gun was based solely on a fleeting observation from a passing vehicle without clear evidence of criminal activity. The man was simply signaling to activate the pump, yet faced immediate escalation. This hasty judgment reflects a broader issue where officers act on incomplete information, prioritizing suspicion over reason, and disproportionately targeting individuals based on appearance or context. as the man himself noted, accusing the officer of profiling due to his tattoos. >> What do you have in your hand? Show me your hands. Okay, stay in the car. Okay, turn around. Place your hands behind your back. What are you doing? >> I'm filling up gas. Can you >> You understand? You're holding it like this, like it's a pistol, right? >> No, I was showing her to cut the pump on. >> Okay, but that's not what it looks like to the motoring public on the roadway. >> I was just showing her the I was just showing her the thing to let her know to get the gas. >> Do you have your ID on you? >> Okay. Can I turn around? Dang. All right. But you understand you're holding it like this and it looks like a handgun, right? >> No, I'm just I'm trying to let her know to pump the gas, bro. >> Okay. >> Why you What the [ __ ] You just pull out. Yeah, I'm sorry. There's an individual who had some gun in his hand. Wow. You know I'm going to get a lost lady. Look at this [ __ ] Let me tell you what [ __ ] Put your hands in there. Put your hand right back. Sure did. >> I'm sure there are cameras up. >> I ain't got nothing to say to you, bro. I ain't did [ __ ] and I ain't being detained. I want to go. I don't got nothing to say to you. You know what you did. I I don't got no rap. >> Well, it looks like he's holding a gun. >> Man, that don't look like no gun when you see this [ __ ] right here swinging. >> I didn't see that, sir. >> Yeah. You saw what you wanted to see. You saw a [ __ ] with tattoos. Why would I be holding the gun like this right here? And who? >> Man, you saw what you wanted to see. You profile [ __ ] Hey, I'll be back in a little. How are you? >> It's 3:85. >> Hey, how you doing? >> Hey, what happened? >> So, I'm driving down the road and he's got something black in his hand and he's moving it like it's a pistol. So, I pulled in to investigate what was going on. That's all it was. >> Oh, yeah. Because the pump wasn't his pump wasn't on >> and he was signaling me that the pump wasn't >> police officer in Alabama. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Just the guy had something in his hand looked like a gun and I was like, "What are we doing?" >> Yeah. I noticed some weird coming up. >> Okay. >> So, you saw him with the thing in his hand? I saw him with a gas pump in his hand. Yeah. >> His gas pump his pump wasn't working and he was doing he was sick with me that that that the pump the gas wasn't on the pump. Is he causing a problem at y'all your store? >> No, he come in here every day faithfully after work. He come here to get gas. >> Hey, I don't want to hold the gas pump again. You You'll start the gas. >> Yes, I will. >> Hey, what's your name? >> You'll sign the statement. Y'all get a picture of everything you did. >> Yeah. J K. Yeah. >> How do you spell it? >> A W A U W >> U W E R D A >> E R D A >> And you work for who? >> I'm for in Alabama. >> Yeah. >> P R I T C H A R D. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> You spelled it better than some of the locals we got. >> Yeah. So, what did you see when you pulled that? >> He was just holding this gas pump up like this. I don't know what he had in his hand. You're just kind of raising it up. I don't know if he was trying to straighten it out or what. >> Okay. >> You need to see my law enforcement ID. I know a lot of people. >> All right. You have a great Thank you. Thank you for your service. Absolutely. >> The gas wasn't on the pump and I I thought it was on the pump. I seen him do that and I was like, "Oh, his gas not on there." So that's why he was holding it up. He was signaling >> cuz he was holding It wasn't the gas nozzle. He was holding something else up. Oh, well I when I seen him, he was holding that the gas pump. He was he was sitting >> the part with the hose. >> Yeah. >> When I saw him, he didn't have the thing with the hose. He he had something else, >> which is all it was. >> Oh, okay. Cuz I'm like, "Wait a minute. What's going on with Cuz he come in here every day. He's very friendly. He's respectful." Okay. >> And him and his wife come every day. Come every day. Okay. Monday through Friday. They stop by here. He get he get his $15 worth of gas and his two cigarettes and and he rolled on out. Okay. >> Yeah. That's why I was like, "Oh my gosh, what's going on out there?" He just left out of the >> Yeah. No, it's what I saw when I was driving down the road. You know what I mean? So, >> I want to make sure y'all weren't getting like held up or something, >> right? And I thank you for being that's all it was because we get some crazy I get crazy people through here. So, I'm glad y'all do be alert. >> Absolutely. You have a great day. >> Back in here, honey. All some days, all night by myself. >> Yes, ma'am. So, I'm glad that y'all be alerted. Yeah, he he's really kind. I'm sorry. >> And it's How do you spell your sh >> S h a n i k a. Thank you, little bug. No problem. >> And the last name? >> Uh c r i t e n >> c r i t. >> Uh-huh. E n. >> And your date of birth? >> 51681. >> And uh that works for me. Oh, good phone number. 3347144280. >> 714-44280. >> Mhm. >> Okay. I appreciate it. Okay. >> Thank you. >> Why my name have you get put down? >> Just they like us to just document it that I made contact with the clerk. Everything's fine. Yeah. That's all. >> I ain't got no good. >> Hey man, you got to stop profiling. >> Can you apologize, man? Can you come talk to me for a second? Yeah. >> No, I really don't want to. For real. >> You But you know what you did and you know you dead ass mom. You know I a no [ __ ] gun after him. >> The incident left the man feeling targeted and humiliated, threatening legal action for what he perceived as unjust treatment. The Alabama Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission mandates that officers act with impartiality and respect as outlined in its code of ethics, which requires law enforcement to perform their duties with integrity. Yet, the officer's refusal to fully acknowledge the misunderstanding even after the clerk vouched for the man's daily routine and harmless behavior suggests a lack of accountability. The store clerk's testimony, he come in here every day faithfully after work, he don't cause nothing, reveals the human cost of such encounters where community members are alienated by overzealous policing. This case exemplifies how unchecked authority can fracture community trust, demanding reforms like better training and stricter oversight to prevent abuses of