Nationwide — Wesley Leasy, a 53-year-old former NFL player who is African American, says police held him and his daughter at gunpoint after mistaking him for a 19-year-old white shooting suspect. He has since filed a $1 million claim against the Mesa and Phoenix police departments.
On April 10, Leasy drove to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to pick up his 26-year-old daughter, Jade, from a business trip. As she stepped out with her luggage, officers suddenly ordered them to the ground with guns drawn. Body camera footage later showed both father and daughter complying as police handcuffed them.
According to Atlanta Black Star, Mesa police said they were looking for a white man driving a white Mercedes-Benz with temporary tags. From a helicopter, they had lost track of the suspect’s car and spotted Leasy’s identical vehicle nearby. They assumed it was the same one.
Leasy explained he had just bought his white Mercedes, which still had temporary tags. He said white is the most common car color in Scottsdale, where he lives, and that many residents drive the same brand.
“I’ve never been so afraid in my entire life,” Leasy said. “That will be with me until my time comes.”
According to the notice of claim, officers detained the pair for about 20 minutes before realizing the real suspect was a white teenager named Hayden Beever. He was arrested days later and convicted of multiple charges, including armed robbery and aggravated assault.
Leasy, who once played linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals and now runs a construction company, said the incident left him and his daughter shaken. His attorney, Benjamin Taylor, said police pointed rifles at their heads “for no reason” and added that both are still recovering from the trauma.
The family is seeking a settlement to avoid filing a lawsuit, saying they still don’t understand how police could mistake a middle-aged Black man and his daughter for a white teen suspect.