‘For What?’: Minnesota Man Was in His Own Apartment Lobby When a Cop with a Dark Past Put Hands on Him Before Realizing He Had the Wrong Black Man
Minnesota man wants accountability after he says a police officer racially profiled him.
Antwon Ri’Chard was working in the lobby of B-Side Apartments in Minneapolis when the incident happened. He is the health coordinator for TI Communities, which owns the apartment building. Ri’Chard also resides at the complex.
He spoke with Atlanta Black Star about what happened.
“My coworker, Jamie, and I were sitting there going over some things when the interaction unfolded,” Ri’Chard said. “I initially was going to let [the officer] in myself, but Jamie stopped me.”
You can see the officer start to grab Ri’Chard.
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“Please sit down; I’m asking you to sit down,” the officer said in the video.
“Sit down for what?” Ri’Chard said.
Ri’Chard identified the officer in the video as Officer Joshua Stewart. Atlanta Black Star was also able to independently verify the officer’s identity. He said Stewart was responding to reports of someone with a weapon.
“You’re matching felony warrants for weapon possession,” Stewart said.
Ri’Chard’s coworker also began filming the interaction.
“I pause for a second before I respond, and Jamie, she’s like, ‘Hey, he’s not who you’re looking for.’ He completely ignored her.”
Ri’Chard said the officer reached into his pocket and pulled out his driver’s license without his consent. You can see in the video when the officer is holding his license.
“He put his hands on me and was trying to force me to sit back down,” he said. “I said I’d feel more comfortable standing.’ That’s when he was like, ‘I have the right to detain you.’”
Ri’Chard said the officer realized he had the wrong guy and left the building. It is unclear who called police in the first place.
Ri’Chard said the incident has impacted his life.
“I live in that building. My staff asked me what happened,” he said.
Atlanta Black Star dug into Stewart’s past and found several federal complaints regarding his conduct.
The first was filed in 2013 by Zach King. He was leaving a Minneapolis nightclub with a handgun he was legally permitted to carry when he was stopped by an officer who saw the gun at his waist.
“I got to about right here, and he was at the alley,” King told KARE 11 in 2015. “As I’m walking, he’s like, ‘Hey, you, what’s that bulge under your shirt?’ And I just stopped like this and said, ‘I have a permit, and this is my gun.”
King said six officers came out and assaulted him. According to the lawsuit, one of the instigators was Stewart.
“They got their knee on me, almost like George Floyd,” he said. “And I couldn’t breathe.”
King was hospitalized with a concussion. His face was swollen with cuts and bruises from the beating.
King claimed the officers took him to the hospital in handcuffs and tried to prevent doctors from taking pictures.
In 2014, Brandon Dickson filed a complaint against Stewart and the city of Minneapolis. The filing did not provide details regarding the case.
In 2015, John Huge Gilmore sued Stewart for falsely arresting him.
Gilmore, a lawyer and political blogger, was arrested in June 2011. He was charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction of the legal process after a fight in downtown Minneapolis.
Gilmore, a conservative activist, said in the court filing that a large group of people began harassing him. They were identified as liberal activists, trying to confront Gilmore.
The filing said officers received reports of a suspicious white male wearing all black and shouting racial slurs at people.
The court filing claimed Stewart and another officer “physically manhandled him…and dragged [Gilmore]” out of a restaurant.
Gilmore accused Stewart of tarnishing his reputation. The case was listed as closed.
Stewart did manage to avoid charges in another incident in 2016. He was with two police officers when they shot Raul Marquez-Heraldes.
A statement from the Hennepin County Attorney doesn’t specify if Stewart shot him. Marquez-Heraldes attacked Stewart after he was shot. Authorities shared a picture of Stewart covered in blood.
Ri’Chard and his coworker filed a complaint against Stewart. He said he is planning to seek legal action. Ri’Chard is in the process of acquiring a copy of his complaint to send to our reporter.
Atlanta Black Star has tried numerous times to reach out to the Minneapolis Police Department but hasn’t received a response.