Iowa City Police released body cam footage of a University of Iowa football player mistaken by officers for a robbery suspect. The video released Tuesday shows officers on the hunt for a bank robbery suspect last week. University of Iowa football player, Faith Ekakitie was stopped and searched by police. Police said the defensive end matched the description of the suspect.

In the video, you can hear one officer say, “Just keep your hands up. It’s probably not you, but we’ve got to double-check.”

Ekakitie can also be heard saying that he was playing Pokemon Go before the stop. He wrote about the encounter last Wednesday on Facebook.

He wrote, “Today I was surrounded and searched by approximately five Iowa City Police Officers. My pockets were checked, my backpack was opened up and searched carefully, and I was asked to lift up my shirt while they searched my waistband. Not once did they identify themselves to me as Iowa City Police officers, but with four gun barrels staring me in the face, I wouldn’t dare question the authority of the men and woman in front of me.”

Ekakitie noted that he didn’t initially know that the officers were behind him because he was listening to music in his headphones.

“Misunderstandings happen all the time and just like that things can go south very quickly. It is extremely sad that our society has brainwashed us all to the point where we can’t feel safe being approached by the police officers in our respective communities. Not all police officers are out to get you, but at the same time, not all people who fit a criminal profile are criminals.”

At the end of the post, Ekakitie thanked the officers for “handling a sensitive situation very professionally”. He also went on to issue a word of caution. “Lastly, I would urge us all to at least to attempt to unlearn some of the prejudices that we have learned about each other and now plague our minds and our society. I am convinced that in the same way that we learned these prejudices, we can also unlearn them.”

The encounter lasted approximately six minutes. One officer is seen in the video with a gun drawn. Another told Ekakitie, “If you see another black man dressed all in black right now, give us a call. Walk the other way, because he’s supposed to have a gun.” He is thanked for his cooperation and released.

Police have yet to find the original robbery suspect. An Iowa City Police Department spokesman said the suspect description was a black man about 6 feet tall, wearing a black shirt and shorts and a black covering on his head. Ekakitie is 6-foot-3 and was wearing black pants, a black t-shirt and black goggles on his head.

See the encounter below.


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