Racist Cop Handcuffs Black Supreme Court Clerk at Grocery Store — Jury Awards $3.2M Badge Gone – YouTube
Transcripts:
The Whole Food security camera footage shows at 6:23 p.m. Officer Raymond Cole locking cuffs onto Jordan Ellis’s wrists in the middle of the produce section. Cuffing him before verifying any suspicion brought the standard of reasonable suspicion into question. Jordan Ellis stood in the middle of the aisle, hands behind his back.
A bag of organic apples was on the white tile floor. His phone was about a foot and a half from his feet. A Tik Tok live stream from the juice bar showed a close-up of his cuffed wrists. 4 minutes earlier, the same camera angle showed him holding the bag of apples and his phone. He put his phone in his left pants pocket.
He reached with his right hand for one of the metal baskets stacked near the oranges. Officer Raymond Cole walked over from the craft beer section. He wore a dark jacket and dark blue jeans. His right hand was on the hem of his jacket. Near his hip, he walked straight ahead. Not stopping to look around, he said, “Come with me.
” Now Jordan turned to face him. They were less than 3 ft apart. A customer to their right stopped their shopping cart. He asked, “Am I being detained?” The officer didn’t show a badge. He didn’t state a specific violation. He told him to raise his hands. He raised his hands to shoulder height. The bag of apples slipped from his hand and fell.
Two of them rolled toward the onion display. He said, “Put your hands where I can see.” He held his position. He said, “I do not consent to a search.” The overhead camera clearly showed the position of both his hands. No anti- theft alarms went off. No store employees were standing nearby. The officer grabbed his right arm.
He turned him to face the carrot display. He took a half step back with the pull. A teenage girl held her phone up level with her face. The screen showed the red record icon. The background noise grew slightly louder. He said, “You put something in your pocket.” He took his phone out of his pocket. He opened his other hand, showing his leather wallet.
He said, “This is my phone.” The officer kept his grip on his arm for a few more seconds. He pulled metal handcuffs from his back pocket. There was a faint clink of metal. He said, “My ID is in my wallet.” He didn’t ask any store employees to verify the merchandise. He didn’t check the store’s cameras before acting.
He clamped the man’s left wrist into the metal ring. A click echoed. The right wrist was put into the other ring. The live stream switched to a waist level angle. A store employee stepped out from the back room. [clears throat] This person stood about 6 ft away. Hands folded in front of their stomach. There was no exchange between the two sides.
He said, “Turn around.” The man turned his back to the checkout counter. Both hands were locked behind his back. A leather wallet fell to the floor near the herb shelf. The camera recorded him bending down to pick up the wallet. He opened the wallet with his left hand. A Supreme Court employee ID was visible between the credit cards.
He stared at the ID for 3 seconds. He flipped the card over to its back. He continued to search the remaining compartments. The man stood perfectly still. The distance from him to the exit was 40 ft. Two customers backed away close to the frozen fruit section. The live stream clearly captured him holding the card. Then placing it on the shelf, he took his personal phone out of his jacket pocket.
He took one step to the right to answer the call. An older man put a box of cheese down on a shelf. This man held up his phone, recording from behind the officer. The angle clearly showed the cuffed wrists. The man kept his back straight, his shoulders level. He didn’t move from the spot where he was being held.
The white lights of the produce section reflected off the metal rings. He glanced around the area for a few seconds. He placed the wallet on the shelf next to it. His personal phone was still in his right hand. The live stream kept recording as he turned slightly toward the exit. The man was still standing in the middle of the aisle, hands locked behind him under the white lights of the produce section.
Officer Raymond Cole still held the phone to his ear. Half turned toward the exit. Jordan Ellis stood in the middle of the aisle, his hands cuffed behind his back. The live stream held its frame at waist level. He spoke into the phone. offduty officer. I have a shoplifting suspect. The sound came through clearly on the video.
The man did not move from his position. The leather wallet lay on the herb shelf a step away. The Supreme Court employee ID was placed on top of the wallet. He continued, “He was concealing merchandise. The ceiling camera covered the entire produce section. There was no footage of him putting anything in his jacket. No employee confirmed that anything was missing.
A store manager came out from the back. The man stopped about 6 ft away. His hands clasped in front of him. No one touched him. Cole lowered his phone. The manager stood between him and the exit. Two customers backed away toward the frozen food aisle. Ellis said, “My badge is on the shelf.” The man didn’t turn to look at the badge. He kept his right hand near his belt.
Metal cuffs glinted under the lights. 8 minutes passed. The automatic doors slid open. Officer Dana Mitchell and Officer Kyle Harper walked in. Mitchell walked two steps ahead. Harper hung back. They both looked down the aisle. Mitchell stopped about 3 ft from Cole. Harper stood off to the left. The live stream panned over to the three of them.
Mitchell said. “What do we have?” The manager replied. “Shoplifting.” He resisted. The phone’s camera showed a clear view of his cuffed wrists. Ellis stood straight. Not struggling. The bag of apples lay on the floor next to the metal basket. Mitchell looked at him. Mitchell glanced over at the herb rack. The employee badge was still in the same place.
Ellis said, “I work at the Supreme Court.” Mitchell took two steps to the shelf. She picked up the badge with her right hand. She looked at the front of it for 3 seconds. Harper looked over at Cole. They were about a step apart. No one else said anything. Mitchell said, “Did you verify this?” The man shook his head slightly. He said, “Anyone can fake a badge.
” She took out her departmentisssued phone. She took a step back from him. She turned halfway to make the call. The call wasn’t on speaker. Harper stood next to Ellis, looking down at his wrists. Red marks were clear on his skin under the white lights. 30 seconds pass. A customer puts a basket on the floor. The live stream held steady.
Mitchell spoke into her radio. confirm employment for Jordan Ellis. She listened to the response for a few seconds. She read the ID number on the card again. [clears throat] She ended the call. Mitchell turned back to Cole. The card was still in her right hand. She said, “Remove the cuffs.” He stood still for two seconds. He looked over at Harper.
Harper didn’t answer. Mitchell repeated, “Take them off now.” Cole stepped behind Ellis. He unlocked the right metal cuff. The click was clear on the live stream. The left one came off right after. Ellis brought his hands in front of him. He rubbed his wrists for a couple of seconds.
Harper picked up the bag of apples from the floor. He set the bag on a nearby shelf. Mitchell handed the ID back to Ellis. He took it with his right hand. He put the card in his wallet. he said. “Am I free to leave?” Mitchell replied, “Yes.” Ellis bent down and picked up his phone. He took pictures of his wrists for 5 seconds.
He took a picture of the name tag on Cole’s uniform. Cole said, “You should keep that visible.” Mitchell stepped between the two of them. She kept about 3 ft between them. Harper stood near the exit. Ellis put his wallet in his left pants pocket. He held his phone in his right hand. The live stream caught the whole thing.
The store manager took two steps back. Nothing more was said. The two customers still held their phones up high. Mitchell turned to Cole and said, “Step outside.” He walked toward the front door. Harper followed half a step behind. The 10 ft of distance between them didn’t change. Ellis stood alone in the middle of the aisle.
His wrists were free. The employee ID was back in his wallet. The live stream kept recording as Cole walked out of the store under the bright lights of the produce section. The automatic doors slid shut behind officer Raymond Cole. Jordan Ellis stood there in the aisle for another 3 seconds. The live stream was still running on three phones.
He bent down and picked up the bag of apples. He put it back in the wire basket. He walked over to the checkout counter about 30 ft away. The store manager walked alongside him. A few steps behind. Not a word was said. The security cameras kept rolling. He paid with a credit card. The cashier didn’t charge him for the apples.
The receipt printed out at 6:42. 7 minutes later. The first video hit the internet. The thumbnail was a still from the moment the cuffs came off. The views climbed every minute. 48 hours later, the Arlington County Police Department announced his suspension. Cole was suspended without pay. His badge was taken at internal affairs.
Two weeks later, the termination papers were signed. Reason given. Procedural violations. Conduct unbecoming. The case was handed over to the D A’s office. 9 months later, the criminal trial began. Four cell phone videos were shown. The store’s security camera played the whole thing. The 911 call was played for the jury.
The prosecutor said, “Play the security footage.” The screen showed the cuffs going on at 6:23. The sound of metal clicked through the courtroom. Nowhere did it show him stealing anything. The defense attorney said he believed a theft occurred. The judge told the jury to focus on the evidence. Mitchell took the stand. She confirmed his employee ID was verified in under a minute.
The jury left the room after closing arguments. They deliberated for less than 5 hours. They came back before 5p. M. The clerk read each charge out loud. Guilty on all three counts. Cole just stood there as the verdict was read. 6 weeks later, he was back for sentencing. The judge gave him 18 months. 2 years probation went on his record.
500 hours of mandatory community service. Law enforcement certification permanently revoked. 12 months later, Cole was released for good behavior. The criminal record remains a felony. At the same time, a civil lawsuit was filed in federal court. Jordan Ellis sued Cole personally and the police department. The grounds were federal civil rights statutes. The civil trial lasted 6 days.
The video and audio recordings were played again. Records of the 11 prior complaints were entered into evidence. The jury returned to the courtroom. The verdict. 3 million $200,000 $800,000 in compensatory damages. 2 million 400,000 in punitive damages. Arlington County paid the majority of the settlement.
Cole’s pension was stripped. His certification was erased from the federal system. Three supervisors who had signed off on the prior complaints were demoted. The chief announced his retirement. Effective immediately, the Department of Justice opened a 10-year pattern and practice investigation. Jordan finished his clerkship at the Supreme Court.
He received three offers from major law firms. He chose to work for a legal advocacy organization during a congressional hearing. He said, “The record speaks for itself. There was no long speech. There was no separate press conference. He was back at his desk the next morning. The Whole Foods incident was logged in a federal database.
A consent decree was signed between the county and the Department of Justice. All traffic stops were reviewed under new criteria. Cole’s file was closed with the status of permanently revoked. His name was removed from the list of active duty officers. Personally, the way I see it, this whole thing came down to one recorded act, one decision made in the moment that created a paper trail years long.
What do you think about the role of cameras in situations like this? If you think this story is one that other people should hear, please share it. Leave your comments below and subscribe to Power Abuse Stories for the next case file.
