Black man who was wrongfully detained by mask-less cop tests positive for COVID-19
Jamar Mackey tested positive for Coronavirus just five days after a Virginia Beach police officer wrongfully apprehended him.
A Black man who was wrongfully detained by a mask-less police officer in a Virginia Beach mall earlier this month has now tested positive for COVID-19.
According to ABC News, Jamar Mackey is currently quarantining at his home and experiencing mild symptoms after he tested positive for Coronavirus just five days after a Virginia Beach police officer apprehended him. The officer was not wearing a mask, although it is a requirement for all officers of the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD).
Mackey’s two children were also tested for COVID-19, but had not received their results as of Tuesday (Dec. 29).
Video footage of the incident, which was filmed by Mackey’s fiancée, went viral. The mask-less officer approached him as he was eating with his family in the mall’s food court. Mackey was wearing a mask, but it was pulled down while he was eating.
The officer placed Mackey in handcuffs and led him outside and said he matched the description of someone who was wanted for credit card fraud. The officers then found out that they had the wrong man. “Maybe you are the wrong person,” the officer said, telling Mackey to “calm down” and “relax.”
On Dec. 21, VBPD Chief Paul Neudigate apologized to Mackey and his family for his detainment. When a reporter asked why the cop wasn’t wearing a mask, the chief confirmed that all officers are required to wears masks while they are on duty.
“It will be addressed,” Neudigate said. “There is a requirement. We are required to wear masks. We set the standard, we set an example for our community.”
Attorney Don Scott, who is representing Mackey, told “Good Morning America” last week that they are planning on taking legal action against the VBPD. “Everybody in this region knows this is how you get treated. This is how Black males get treated in Virginia Beach,” Scott said. “So, this is what we hope to be able to change.”
The VBPD will not say whether or not the officer involved in Mackey’s arrest has COVID-19, due to health privacy laws.