Arrested Students Say Police Racially Profiled Them

Three college freshmen say police harassed and wrongly arrested them on burglary charges.

Grand Prairie police said a witness reported two black teenagers were running from a home where a burglar alarm was going off. The officers who responded to the call said the back door was kicked in but nothing was missing.

Minutes later, police received a second call about two suspicious black teenagers around the corner from the house.

Police pulled over Chaston Antione, Deontay Tennessee and Jacolby Jones, all 18 years old, who said they were driving to a friend's house to play video games.

Antione said he was frightened when the officers drew their guns. He said an officer asked him what he was doing on that side of town.

Police held the young men for two hours.

Antione willingly allowed the officers to search his vehicle.

"Once of the officers said he would let us go until he checked the car, and he saw a hammer that was already in there," Jones said. "He said we used the hammer to break inside a house and stole the Xbox, which was already in the car when we left the house."

Officers said it was probable cause and arrested Antione, Tennessee and Jones.

The three freshmen missed final exams because they were kept in jail overnight on a $20,000 bond.

"They were not read their rights, yet they were questioned at the scene," said Angela Harris, president of the Grand Prairie Chapter of the NAACP.

The group and the boys' parents are demanding an investigation and an apology from the city.

"We will not stand for the racial profiling, just pulling over black kids because you feel like they are on the wrong part of town," said Toshi Jones, Jacolby Jones' mother.

Detectives asked to speak with the young men while they were in jail, but 20 minutes after the three asked for lawyers, they were released from jail with no explanation.

"(They) didn't give them any release papers, didn't give them no explanation, no apologies," Toshi Jones said.

Police dropped the charges against the three because of a lack of evidence.