A Black woman says an off-duty Atlanta police officer yelled racial slurs, threatened to "blow her brains out," and pointed a gun as she was driving with her family, per HuffPost.
Robert Malone, a white officer who resigned from his post in July, is facing multiple charges after he allegedly pulled a gun on Courtney Harris in the accompaniment of her partner Quinton Rogers and three of her kids while in uniform during a suspected road rage incident.
According to a police report, Harris said she was driving out of a parking lot with her family in May when she almost hit the man's black Chevrolet Camero.
In response, Malone allegedly honked his horn and called Harris the N-word, per the report.
The mother claimed he also brandished a gun and said he'd "blow her brains out."
“That put the biggest fear in them, like just seeing that gun being pointed at them," Harris told WXIA-TV referencing her children's reaction to the incident. "And then, my 11-year-old holding my 8-year-old daughter’s head down to protect her, telling her the gun is pointing right here.”
“I cried that night — that hurt,” she added.
According to WSB-TV, Malone was arrested on multiple felony charges including first-degree cruelty to children and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
He was booked into jail on June 28 and was released the following day, according to jail records.
Malone’s attorney, Brian Tevis, said in a statement to the outlet that Harris and Rogers' account of the incident was "inaccurate."
Tevis alleged that the couple got out of their car, approached Malone's vehicle, and aggressively threatened him.
“Once they realized Mr. Malone was a police officer, they changed their demeanor and came up with these false accusations,” Tevis said. “Their inability to tell the same story twice demonstrates that their account is a fabrication. Unlike their story, the truth does not change, and we look forward to the truth coming out in court."
However, Harris told WSB that she doesn't believe Malone should be able to walk free with a gun in his possession.
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