Carjacking victim calls police for help, gets threatened with jail time
“I figured they were here to help me. Turned out, they were here against me.”
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — A man who had just been carjacked and robbed at gunpoint called the police to report the crime. He says the police almost treated him as badly as the criminals did.
The ordeal happened to Charles Williams, a religious man who works at a local church. First, he says armed thugs pointed guns at him and stole his car.
“This guy flagged me down and so I looked over at him. When I looked over at him, he had a gun pointed right at the window,” said Williams. The carjacker and an accomplice got in his car and then forced him to withdraw $300 cash from an ATM, before taking off with his stuff.
Mr. Williams collected himself and phoned the police to report what had happened. KFOR reported what happened next:
“I figured they were here to help me. Turned out, they were here against me,” said Williams.
Williams says an officer and supervisor made it very clear they did not believe his story.
“He says you want to tell me the correct story? Because at this point you’re lying,” said Williams. “He said ‘do you have a woman on the side?’ I said no. ‘Are you buying drugs?’ I said no.”
Instead of taking the incident report like professionals, police treated Mr. Williams as a criminal himself. After accusing him of being a drug addict, they threatened to arrest him for filing a false police report.
Williams intends to file a formal complaint about the criminal treatment he received.
“They don’t know the type of person I am and my character. They have no clue. They were assuming,” said Williams.
The police chief defended the officers, claiming that difficult questions must be asked during interviews to figure out who is lying.
Unfortunately treating everyone like a criminal does not build much public confidence in the services of the local police department.
Mr Williams should be thankful he didn’t get ‘SWATted’ by the OK city superhero wannabes.
What is the proper procedure when your car/anything is stolen though? Is to possible to just file an insurance claim and avoid the police all together?
Dom,
Ask your your insurance company. I would not be surprised if the insurance company wants a police report before they pay any money out.
No doubt, I was thinking the same thing. So no matter what, in a situation like this, one must call the police. I guess just visiting the station would be the best bet.
first he was robbed by criminals, then he was interviewed by different criminals. it should be no surprise that he was treated in this manner.