Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams’ ex-fiancé Dennis McKinley says he was handcuffed by police on Friday, July 26, and accused of stealing a sandwich.
The incident happened at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, where the entrepreneur went for a routine doctor’s appointment.
In an Instagram post showing him sitting in a restaurant with his arms cuffed behind his back as he talks to a female police officer, McKinley, 38, wrote that he was “accosted by a super aggressive” cop “who racially profiled me and falsely accused me of stealing a $4 sandwich. I had a receipt which could have easily ended her inquiry. There was a cashier that could have easily verified that I paid for everything I had. There were a number of easy resolutions that could have deescalated the unnecessary racial profiling and my detention by this officer.”
The video, shot by an onlooker, shows the pair in a heated discussion as the officer tells him that he “escalated” the situation, while photos reveal the marks on McKinley’s arms and his receipt from the cafe.
McKinley, who is the father of Williams’ daughter Pilar, 4 months, claims that the officer “chose aggression over common sense. She put her hands on her weapon, she put her hands on me, she publicly humiliated me, falsely and wrongfully accused me of stealing a sandwich and placed me in handcuffs so tight that she caused injuries to both of my wrists.”
Writing that he was racially “profiled,” the Detroit native said that the officer didn’t offer an apology, “just more vitriol — she blamed me for the entire situation. It was disgusting. I could have been the next hashtag because she was that aggressive.”
The businessman, who split with Williams, 38, in June after one year together, added, “It happens to us everywhere, at any time, for any reason. I can’t let this go…. Now, we can add going to the doctor or buying a sandwich while black to the list of things we cannot do.”
He has hired lawyer Mike Sterling, who is married to RHOA’s Eva Marcille, to represent him. Sterling commented on McKinley’s post, writing, “If no one objects or fights back, the wrongs will last forever.”
The Emory Police Department told Us in a statement that “an Emory Police Department officer detained an individual suspected of not paying for an item. Once the officer learned the individual had purchased it, he was released.”
McKinley’s rep gave Us the following statement: “Emory’s response is clearly the response of privilege. The privilege of someone completely out of touch with the reality of what that harrowing experience was like for Dennis. It is a response that does not recognize the pain and anguish of being profiled, despite your personal accomplishments and standing in society; they don’t understand what it’s like to be viewed as a criminal for no reason at all, except how you look; they don’t understand what it’s like to falsely accused of something you did not do; publicly humiliated for no reason at all; handcuffed like a criminal; detained without provocation; and completely frightened to death that you could be shot by an overly aggressive police officer over a $4 sandwich. Are you kidding me, Emory. This type of indifference by Emory just made the experience all the more painful. This is shameful.”
