‘The Children Screamed!’: Cops Order Family Out of Car at Gunpoint After Confusing Black Father with ‘Frumpy Skinny’ White Murder Suspect, Lawsuit Says
Washington police were searching for a white man with gray hair suspected of murder driving a stolen SUV – when they spotted a Black man with an afro driving with his family in their SUV and determined he “matched the description.” Without warning, the Spokane police officers first rammed Kershawn Grigsby’s car with a patrol car to force it to stop, then several cops surrounded the SUV with their guns drawn, yanking doors open as they terrorized an innocent family, threatening to kill the 40-year-old father. “The children screamed, believing they would watch their father die — or die themselves,” states the lawsuit filed by Grigsby in federal court on October 8. Kershawn Grigsby and Jade Manzando and their children were detained at gunpoint after police he claimed he "matched" the description of a white murder suspect. (Photo: lawsuit) “They told Mr. Grigsby’s children he was wanted for murder, handcuffed him at gunpoint, and searched the family car without consent.” After realizing they had stopped the wrong man, the cops drove off, leaving Grigsby and his family with a damaged vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade with a Washington license plate number of CFA9696. ‘Disgraceful’: White Cop Who Shot Himself, Then Claimed a ‘Black or Dark-Skinned Hispanic’ Gunman Did It, Gets Slap on the Wrist for Fabricating Story The white man they had been looking for, Shannon Quattlebaum, described to be in his 50s or 60s, was also driving a Cadillac Escalade – but with a Washington license plate number of CJF9999. According to the claim: “Finding nothing on which to charge Mr. Grigsby, they drove away, leaving the family with a damaged vehicle and showing no concern for whether it was safe to drive. One body camera captured this shrugging response: “I got the partial because I was driving by… It is what it is. Sh_t happens.” Spokane police officer Connor Tangeman tried to paint himself as the victim as the children screamed in terror, writing the following in his report, according to the claim. There were multiple people in the back seats of the Cadillac. Everyone in the Cadillac was noncompliant and screaming at me. I told them this Cadillac was reported stolen and seen leaving the scene of a homicide. I continued to tell people to keep their hands up. The driver and passenger cursed at me telling me we had the wrong vehicle. Tangerman is listed as a defendant along with Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl, Sgt. Trevor Nollmeyer and Cpl. Gregory Thompson along with about ten John Does, cops who have not yet been identified. The lawsuit filed by Washington attorney Marcus Sweetser accuses them of violating the family’s Fourth Amendment through unlawful seizure, excessive force and unlawful search. ‘Frumpy Skinny White Man' On the morning of July 21, 2024, Spokane homicide detectives responded to a murder scene where the suspect was described as a “frumpy-skinny white male” about six feet tall in his 50s who was seen leaving the murder scene in a 2007 Cadillac Escalade. Four days later, police spotted Grigsby driving a white Cadillac Escalade with a license plate that partially matched the one driven by the murder suspect, and began following him for several blocks for about five minutes, never realizing it was not a full license plate match. Grigsby, meanwhile, had no idea he was being followed by police, dropping his son off for football practice before heading home with the rest of the family. It was only after they rammed his car and threatened to kill him in front of his kids did one cop realize they had stopped the wrong car. But that did not deter them. The Escalade’s clearly visible license plate—CFA9696—was recorded on multiple officer dash and body-worn cameras, yet officers persisted with the detention. One officer noted: “It was not the correct vehicle.” (Mackabee Rpt.) Officer Tangeman began shouting expletives and threatening to shoot if passengers did not exit the vehicle. Officers surrounded the Grigsby vehicle with marked and unmarked patrol cars. Officers drew their loaded firearms and pointed them at Mr. Grigsby and the minor passengers. Despite the mismatch of the license plate and skin tone, the cops still were not convinced he was not the murderer, so they ordered him out at gunpoint and told him to walk backward towards them. Grigsby was wearing shorts, flip flops and a brace for his broken foot, so he was not walking fast enough for the cops who became impatient, accusing him of being “noncompliant.” Then they searched his car without consent. Grigsby encouraged the cops to check his identification to hopefully reduce their suspicions he was not the frumpy-skinny white male in his 50s, but when the cops pulled out his wallet they placed it in a ziplock bag without bothering to check his identification. And as more cops arrived with a few sharp-eyed officers pointing out the license plates did not match, two cops responded by saying Grigsby must have changed the license plates. After it finally dawned on them they had stopped the wrong man, they removed the handcuffs and allowed him to be on his way. “For the Grigsby family, the terror of that day lives with them,” the lawsuit states. “Minor C.C., who until then dreamed of being a police officer, now fears them.”
