Providence police respond to accusation of racism made by Patriots player
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore is claiming racism played a role in an interaction with Providence police officers who pulled him over early Wednesday morning.
Barmore, who hasn’t played this season after he was diagnosed with blood clots over the summer, took to social media after the interaction and called the interaction with five officers “unprofessional.”
“I just experienced for the first time 5 Providence cops being very unprofessional racism at it's finest,” he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The post was later deleted.
Providence police released body-worn camera footage of the encounter. NBC 10 News was reviewing it. Watch the full video here:
Col. Oscar Perez said the interaction was in full compliance with department protocols.
"The officer acted in full compliance with department protocols and state regulations," said Perez in a statement. "We understand that any encounter with law enforcement can be stressful, however, it’s important to note that officers are required to enforce all applicable laws, including those related to vehicle registration. We will continue to review the situation to ensure that proper procedures were followed and to maintain transparency with the public."
On Wednesday morning, the Providence Police Department released the police report to NBC 10 News.
In the police narrative, the department claims Barmore gave officers an “attitude” while questioning him about an expired license plate.
He was cited for three traffic violations, including the operation of an unregistered vehicle, a display of plates penalty, and driving with an expired registration.
According to the police narrative, the interaction was initiated at 12:53 a.m. when Barmore drove a matte gray Jeep Grand Cherokee past a marked cruiser. The narrative says officers noted window tint on his vehicle and a plate cover that didn’t allow clear viewing of a temporary registration plate.
The officers then activated their overhead lights.
At this point, the narrative claims Barmore came to a “slow rolled” stop at 343 Broad St. The narrative claims that police officers believe this is a tactic used by drivers to hide contraband.
The department says the temporary Pennsylvania registration had expired on Oct. 5, 2024, and that Barmore could not provide an updated registration.
This is when officers claim Barmore gave them “attitude and asked for a ticket.”
Police said officers told Barmore that his vehicle was going to be towed.
According to the department’s narrative, Barmore was asked to step out of the vehicle “numerous times” and “police observed him reaching under the seat attempting to conceal an object.”
Once he got out of the vehicle, the officers claimed that Barmore kept “pushing away from police stating that he did not want to be touched.”
According to the narrative officers found a blunt rolled with an unknown substance and found several tubes filled with marijuana under the seat.
The officers then recorded that Barmore left the scene in a black Dodge Challenger.
The summonses for his traffic violations were left in his vehicle along with his license and documents.
In a statement, Perez encouraged Barmore to reach out to the department to address the situation "in a constructive manner."
"We're aware of the situation, I had a conversation with him this morning," Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said on Wednesday during a talk with the media.
NBC 10 News also sought comment from a Patriots representative.
