Tyler Perry's accusation that two cops who pulled him over targeted him because he is black has reportedly sparked an investigation into the Atlanta Police Department.
Perry posted about the incident Sunday on Facebook, explaining how he was stopped after making a left turn from a far-right lane — a ruse security taught him to make sure he’s not being followed.
The post has gotten more than 117,000 “likes” on the social network and nearly 22,000 comments.
The two officers, both white, who pulled Perry over apparently didn’t recognize the “Good Deeds” star, whom Forbes in September named the highest-paid man in entertainment.
Perry says after he explained why he made the illegal turn, one of the officers asked, “Why do you think someone would be following you?”
The officers continued to “badger him,” one even banging on his tinted windows, Perry says.
It wasn’t until another police car pulled up, and a black officer stepped up to Perry’s window, that someone recognized the actor.
“He took one look at me and had that ‘Oh, no’ look on his face,” Perry wrote.
Now, the Atlanta Police Department has launched an internal investigation into Perry’s claim that he was harassed because he is black, E! News reports.
“Although we have made significant strides with racial profiling in this country, the world needs to know that we are still being racially profiled,” Perry wrote on Facebook, adding that racial profiling “should be a hate crime investigated by the FBI.”
Online reactions to Perry’s story varied.
Some Facebook commenters chided Perry for making the illegal turn in the first place, while others sympathized with the experience.
The Atlanta Police Department told E! News it is investigating “whether any departmental policies or procedures were violated” during the officers’ exchange with Perry, who was released. It is not clear if he was cited for the illegal left turn or tinted windows.
