Reality-star and talent Romeo Miller said police held him at gunpoint until they realized his identity once he was pulled over.
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Blavity reported that Miller opened up about the experience during an interview on The Mix. He was stopped by law enforcement near UCLA and an officer approached his vehicle with a weapon drawn.
“In UCLA, you get pulled over there, you better have that camera recording because they don’t play no games. The guy pulled me over at gunpoint, a Black cop, and he was like ‘Is this a stolen vehicle?’ I’m like ‘Relax. Just come check my registration and get my driver’s license,'” Miller said, according to the report.
He continued to discuss how after being asked if he’d stolen the car, the police officers realized his celebrity status.
“When he saw it was me, he said ‘Oh, Romeo Miller? Oh, you good. I thought you were just some random Black dude.’ It’s scary for me because my brothers ain’t famous. They bigger than me at 6’4, 6’5. These guys are intimidated by Black men,” he told the hosts.
The former rapper described the fear caused by the entire ordeal.
“I have little brothers that look like grown men and it’s like, what are they going to go through if they don’t realize, ‘Oh I know you from TV, so you’re not a threat,'” he said. “It’s sad that we’re looked at as a threat because of the color of our skin. But it is real. I’ve been in that situation too many times.”
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Another young star shared a similar incident when interacting with the police. As theGrio reported, actor Michael Rainey Jr., known for his role as Tariq on the Starz hit show Power, shared an encounter he had with an officer on social media.
Rainey was pulled over for a routine traffic stop. His friend, sitting in the passenger seat, began to record the incident in which the officer appeared to have his hand on his gun.
In the video, the officer is heard telling Rainey, “Just give me your license.”
Sharing the incident on Instagram, Rainey said, “This guy was about to shoot me. I swear that camera saved my life. Look what he does as soon as he looks into the lens. Someone, please send his precinct or whatever if you know. These power-tripping a– police need they badge taken. Unlawful traffic stop. Didn’t even pull me over. Didn’t tell me what I was being pulled for.”
He continued, “Just came to the whip yelling and sh– wit’ his hand on his gun. This guy also said stop reaching while I was looking for my license. I guess he was tryna come up with a reason to shoot me.”
Rainey accused the officer of pulling him over because of his nice vehicle, saying “You can’t be Black in this world with a nice car, bruh. That’s why we have to keep being Black and keep getting nice cars on these m———–.”
This article contains additional reporting from theGrio’s Ashley Terrell.
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