Atlanta Cop Accused of Terrorizing Black Family With Gun, Racial Slurs
A now-former Atlanta cop has been slammed with multiple felony charges for pointing a gun and yelling racial slurs—while in uniform—at a Black couple and their children who were stopped at a traffic light.
Atlanta police initially told local outlet WSB-TV Atlanta that Officer Robert Malone, who is white, had been placed on paid administrative leave after the disturbing May incident, then confirmed that Malone submitted his resignation in July.
On May 5, Courtney Harris said she, her boyfriend Quinton Rogers, and their three kids were waiting for the light to change at an intersection after leaving the BeltLine, a miles-long trail through the city, according to WSB-TV. Harris said the light turned green, but the car in front of theirs never moved. The family then pulled around the car, and that’s when the driver—later identified as Malone—aggressively honked his horn and yelled racial epithets.
“He was in a rage,” Rogers told WSB-TV.
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Harris told the news outlet that Malone, who was not on-duty at the time, was pointing a gun through the window. When she tried to tell him that they had children in the car, she claimed he said that he didn’t care and repeatedly called the family the N-word.
Since traffic wasn’t moving, Harris said she and Rogers got out of their car to confront Malone, and that’s when she noticed the driver was wearing an Atlanta police officer’s badge. The couple were eventually able to get another police officer involved, WSB-TV reported, but Malone denied their allegations and sped off.
“It was just shocking,” Rogers said. “That could’ve easily went sideways.”
“I don’t feel like he should be a police officer,” Harris told WSB-TV. “I don’t feel like he should walk around with a badge.”
According to the Fulton County Jail, Malone was arrested June 28 for the incident and released the following day on bond. He faces charges related to violation of oath by a public officer, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, cruelty to children in the first degree, and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony.
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Harris said the situation was frightening and she struggled with how to explain it to her children.
“My kids now talking about how they don’t like police officers anymore,” she said, according to WSB-TV. “I have to explain to them that not all police officers are bad. We go through enough just because the color of our skin. Someone like this should not be working for y’all.”
Malone's attorney, Brian Tevis, disputed the family’s version of events.
He said that a traffic accident had prevented Malone from entering the roadway.
“Ms. Harris and Mr. Rogers apparently became irate about the delay,” Tevis said. “When Officer Malone was finally able to proceed into the intersection, they illegally passed him on the left and nearly collided with his vehicle as he turned. Both Harris and Rogers exited their vehicle, approached Officer Malone, and began yelling and threatening him. Ms. Harris and Mr. Rogers have made inaccurate and inconsistent claims from the beginning.”
Tevis told The Daily Beast that Malone denies that the incident had anything to do with race. He also said that the former officer resigned from the Atlanta Police Department for personal reasons unrelated to the case.
“We will vigorously fight these false allegations and look forward to the truth coming out,” Tevis said.
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