Troy Police Reject Claims Of Discrimination At Somerset Mall

TROY, MI — A Black woman said she was discriminated against by two white Troy police officers after being accused of using a stolen debit card at a Louis Vuitton store, but the department said it denounces those claims.

Charvelle Carter of Lathrup Village told FOX 2 that the debit card she used when trying to purchase $2,500 worth of items from the store was declined, prompting the store clerk, a white woman, to call the police, reporting it was stolen.

Carter said the card was hers, according to the television station's story, but she had reportedly been having trouble with the card and had been actively working with her bank to remedy those issues.

But when police arrived, they detained her, took her card and threatened to arrest her, Stephen Lovell, Carter's attorney, told FOX 2.

"She was racially profiled and the Troy police should have protected her," Lovell told FOX 2. "Instead, the Troy police came in and continued to victimize her, continued to treat her like a criminal."

Carter wasn't arrested, but her attorney said she is planning on filing a lawsuit against the department because of the way she was treated.

Troy police responded to questions about the incident Tuesday night, posting a long statement on Facebook that submitted that the store's point of sale system indicated the card was stolen but an investigation was unable to determine whether it was.

"Ultimately officers on scene were unable to establish if a crime had been committed. The credit card was collected as evidence until it could be properly verified. The female customer was provided an incident number, police contact information, and released," police said in a statement.

"The customer was never placed under arrest, or furthermore handcuffed at any time. She was asked to remain at the store while officers were on scene conducting the investigation. She was also asked repeatedly to assist officers in verifying the validity of the card and she repeatedly refused."

The department also addressed claims by Carter and her attorney that her treatment at the store was related to her race.

"We are proud of the service we provide the community and strongly denounce any assertion that the actions taken by our officers were based on race," the department said.