Nationwide — Marcellious McGee, an African American man from Bryan, Texas, says that he was tackled and detained by police during a 4th of July cookout after being mistaken for someone else. The incident was caught on video and is now under internal investigation.
McGee was with family and friends at a backyard gathering on Legion Court when officers came looking for someone named “Marquis.” According to witnesses, police ignored the crowd’s warnings that they had the wrong person and moved straight toward McGee.
“They came to me and I stopped, and I’m looking at the guy like, what’s going on?” McGee told KBTX. “Because they’re charging at me and I have my hands up. And while I’m looking at the officer head-on, another officer came from behind and football tackled me.”
Cellphone footage taken by family members shows McGee being handcuffed and led to the front of the house. In the background, people can be heard shouting that he wasn’t the person they were after.
A few minutes later, another officer arrived and confirmed it was a case of mistaken identity. McGee said police uncuffed him and walked away without any explanation or apology. He had to comfort his children, who were left shaken by the event.
“They uncuffed me and just walked off,” said McGee. “No, sorry, no nothing. I had to go inside and explain to my crying kids that their daddy wasn’t in trouble.”
The Bryan Police Department says the officers were serving an arrest warrant for McGee’s brother. They confirmed McGee was not the suspect and noted the incident is now under internal review.
McGee’s father, Marcus McGee, is demanding policy reforms and the release of body camera footage. The family is also considering legal action.
Despite what happened, McGee said some city officials have reached out in support. “I just want justice,” he said. The department’s review is expected to take several weeks.