A black man was surrounded by the police after attempting to deposit a check in an Arizona bank, according to newly released police footage.
Back in October, 32-year-old Almond Brewer sold his speedboat to a woman on Facebook Marketplace who paid him with a check. Brewer later went to the Pinal County Federal Credit Union in Apache Junction to cash the check.
Bodycam footage reveals the moment black Arizona man is surrounded by police for attempting to cash $3,200 check https://t.co/Lcu7qzp7OI
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) March 16, 2022
However, the bank manager reportedly ran Brewer’s check through a third-party verification system and came out inconclusive. The manager immediately called the police before getting a hold of the woman who wrote the check.
Bodycam footage showed the cops surrounding Brewer without being aware that the woman verified the check for about 10 minutes.
Brewer, who is a former college and professional basketball player, said he was shaken by the encounter, saying that he felt like he was racially profiled.
“It was just, ‘oh, you know, Black guy locks in his hair, tattoos came on a Harley, you know, let’s assume the worst,’” Brewer told reporters. “Why embarrass somebody like that? Why, you know, make them feel less than a man.”
He added that his own bank suggested taking the check to the woman’s bank to get faster access to the funds. When he gave that information to the credit union teller, however, he said that she looked surprised. she “kind of looked surprised.”
The Pinal County Federal Credit Union told reporters that the check had “red flags,” including an old credit union logo and a routing and account number that didn’t match their member’s information.
“If the manager believes the [check] to be fraudulent, it is within their discretion to involve local authorities in the interest of protecting our members from a financial loss,” said Amy Marshall, president and CEO of the Pinal County Federal Credit Union.
“In this case, the call to authorities was based solely on the [check] presented. At no time did the staff feel threatened or feel Mr. Brewer was trying to rob the credit union,” she added.
Marshall also formally apologized to Brewer and noted that the bank employs a “diverse workforce” and undergoes Diversity and Inclusion training annually.
Brewer said that he has not been inside the bank since the incident.
