“Empire's” Taraji P. Henson Apologizes to Police After Racial Profiling Accusation

Chuck Hodes/FOX(LOS ANGELES) — Taraji P. Henson, who plays Cookie Lyon on the hit TV series Empire, has apologized after accusing police in Glendale, California, of racially profiling her 20-year-old son, Marcel, during a traffic stop.

“I would like to publicly apologize to the officer and the Glendale Police Department. A mother’s job is not easy and neither is a police officer’s,” Henson posted on Instagram on Friday. 

“Sometimes as humans we over react without gathering all of the facts. As a mother in this case I overreacted and for that I apologize,” she continued. “Thank you to that officer for being kind to my son.”

Last month, Henson, 44, told Uptown magazine that her “child” had “been racially profiled.”  Henson told the magazine, “He was in Glendale, California and did exactly everything the cops told him to do, including letting them illegally search his car. It was bogus because they didn’t give him the ticket for what he was pulled over for.”

However, footage of the October 18, 2014 incident, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, shows the officer explaining that he pulled Henson’s son over for driving through a lighted crosswalk as a person was walking in it.  The officer also asks whether Marcel has any illegal substances in the car, to which he admits he has marijuana but cannot find his medical prescription in the vehicle.

The officer eventually lets Henson’s son off with a lesser citation. “I’m going to give you a citation for the marijuana,” says the cop, explaining, “Listen, I’m not going to give you a citation for running that yellow because that will actually put a moving violation on your license and you’re going to have to do traffic school and all that stuff.”

“So I’m helping you out by not giving you a violation on that. All I’m going to do is take the weed from you. You can go to court and show your prescription and stuff and you can handle it that way,” the cop adds.

Empire, which airs on Fox, recently wrapped up it’s first season.


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