Whitefish Bay Police issued a two-page statement detailing the department’s recent interactions with the store and the officers’ encounter with Henson. The statement said the department had advised the store to call police if a red Chevrolet Tahoe like Henson’s arrived, after one parked outside the store days earlier raised suspicions that its plates were stolen. The statement also said the store had previously been robbed and had closed early Friday after repeated suspicious calls about its closing time.
Henson said in his post that the car was part of an endorsement deal with a Chevrolet dealer.
The police statement said the officers were dispatched to the store Monday afternoon, “as the Red Tahoe had returned.” The officers talked to Henson, including questioning him about the dealer plates on his Tahoe, then requested the employees open the door. The officers who questioned Henson never asked for his ID and left the area after the store reopened, according to the statement.
Dixon, the owner, also later issued a statement to multiple local media outlets. He said the business regrets how the encounter unfolded and he wanted to apologize personally to Henson.
“We all agree that racial profiling is never acceptable and deeply regret how the circumstances unfolded Friday and today,” Dixon said in his statement Monday night. Dixon has reached out to the Bucks and hopes to sit down with Henson to “apologize for what he experienced.”
The Bucks released a statement Monday afternoon calling the incident “very troubling.”
“Nobody should be treated that way,” the statement said. “We are trying to contact the store directly.”
Henson, the 14th overall pick out of North Carolina in 2012, signed a contract extension with the Bucks earlier this month. The extension is a four-year, $45 million deal that could reach $48 million with incentives. In his third season in the league, Henson averaged 7.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 18 minutes per game.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Article Appeared @http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13928294/john-henson-milwaukee-bucks-alleges-was-victim-racial-profiling