WESTLAKE, Ohio — A misunderstanding over a stolen car in Westlake prompted outrage from the family involved as well as several others in the community.
The group spoke up at Thursday night's city council meeting over the police actions that were captured on both cell phone video and on body camera video.
Herman Carpenter is calling for the officers involved at the incident at his home to be fired over the way they conducted themselves on February 25.
RELATED: Car owner says Westlake police never got the memo her stolen car was returned
Westlake police showed up at the Carpenter's home with guns drawn on his daughter, while she sat in her car in their driveway.
According to Westlake police, the car had been reported stolen.
What the police didn't know was that Cleveland police had recovered the car and returned it to the owner, Harmonie Carpenter, 19.
The Carpenters were told the car would be taken off the hot list.
Herman Carpenter was arrested and charged with obstruction of official business.
"That must be a new law, the concerned parent crime," Carpenter said.
Westlake police released a statement last week telling News 5 that if Carpenter "...had complied with the lawful orders of the officers, statements could have been quickly obtained and stories verified. It is likely that no one would have been arrested."
Carpenter said police never checked with Cleveland police.
"They didn't call the district where it was reported," Carpenter said. "They didn't look to see who lived there. Like I said, my name is Herman. Her name is Harmonie. So It's her car and it's my house. They had just been there a few weeks ago."
Carpenter said he plans to fight the obstruction charge till the end.
“It was at that moment. It was like me protecting my daughter was more important than anything they could possibly do to me out there," Carpenter said. "So whatever would have happened that day, I was willing to live with it, knowing that my daughter was gonna be alright.”
Greg Levy of Cleveland Heights called this a good example of the relationship police have with the Black community, calling it an instant criminalization.
"And it's something that I feel like we can't ignore these situations," said Levy. "Just because he didn't get killed didn't mean that they didn't behave in such a way that if he wasn't so composed, that he could have died.”
Westlake's mayor said the city's attorney advised them not to comment on the matter.
