Richfield Police Apologize For 'Mistaken Identity' Arrest

BLOOMINGTON, MN — The Richfield Police Department has apologized after one of its officers arrested a Black man in what authorities say was "an unfortunate case of mistaken identity." Police wrongly thought that there was a felony warrant on Darrius Strong, the man they pulled over.

The officer drew her gun during the arrest, which is standard during felony arrests, the department said.

The incident happened Friday afternoon while officers from Richfield, Edina, and Bloomington were working traffic enforcement as part of Minnesota’s "Toward Zero Deaths" program.

Around 1 p.m., a Richfield police officer on the detail working in Bloomington "noted a vehicle was speeding," according to authorities. The officer pulled over the vehicle, which was being driven by Strong, on Old Shakopee Road near Logan Avenue.

According to police, the registered owner of the car that Strong was in had a suspended Minnesota driver’s license and felony-level warrant for his arrest.

Strong was put into handcuffs and placed into the Richfield police officer’s squad car.

"Mr. Strong was compliant throughout the incident and maintained there was no such warrant for his arrest," the Richfield Police Department stated.

"The Richfield police officer ran additional checks on the driver and closely examined the arrest warrant. She discovered a different person falsely used Mr. Strong’s name during a previous police encounter that resulted in an arrest warrant being issued in his name. Mr. Strong was released at the scene and no enforcement action was taken."

In a video posted on Facebook, Strong says that "George Floyd came into my head" during the incident.

"Just remember that anything can happen to us, man. Especially black bodies, black people, black men," Strong added. "It could have gone a whole different route, and racial profiling's a thing."

Richfield police say only one officer had her gun drawn, but Strong contends that multiple officers had their guns out.

"This was no doubt a stressful and emotional experience for Mr. Strong," Richfield police said.

"While they were doing their jobs based on what they knew at the time of the traffic stop, officers regret the stress Mr. Strong felt. The three cities will work with the BCA to make sure Mr. Strong’s record is cleared and will continue to have important conversations in our communities regarding police-citizen encounters and how they need to reflect the best of all involved."

The Richfield Police Department says it will release squad car dash camera footage from the incident on Monday.