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The Brief
Wesley Leasy, a former linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals, was held at gunpoint by police while picking up his daughter at Sky Harbor Airport.
Both he and his daughter are still coming to terms with the incident.
Authorities have stated that they mistakenly identified Leasy as a suspect involved in a murder case in Mesa, believing he was driving a vehicle resembling that of the actual suspect.
PHOENIX – Dramatic scenes unfolded for Leasy and his daughter as police, armed and ready, ordered them to the ground at the airport.
“There were so many officers—15 to 20 of them—each of them equipped with, what I assume are, machine guns and semi-automatic weapons, all aimed at us,” recounted Leasy, who was a part of the Cardinals from 1995 to 1996.
What we know
The incident took place earlier in April.
The police were tracking a suspect wanted in connection with a murder in Mesa.
Police body camera footage captures the tense encounter.
Leasy was merely picking up his daughter from the airport when officers surrounded them and demanded they lie on the ground.
Investigators revealed that Leasy was driving a vehicle described as matching that of the suspect: a white Mercedes with a temporary license plate.
The police cornered him at the airport.
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What they’re saying
Leasy noted that the experience was particularly distressing for both him and his daughter.
“She witnessed the whole thing,” Leasy explained. “Seeing her life and mine threatened was horrifying for her. It has been traumatic, and as a dad, I’m trying to comfort her while helping her process the event. We still can’t fully understand what happened.”
Leasy was briefly detained but was released after officers confirmed he wasn’t the suspect they were after.
Reports indicate that a description of the actual shooter had not been communicated to the responding officers, who were informed only that the suspect was a white male.
Source
www.yahoo.com