(CNN) Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross apologized Thursday to two black men who were arrested while waiting for a business meeting at Starbucks, saying he made the situation worse by initially defending his officers’ actions.
Ross’ apology came at a news conference on the same day the men — Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson — told ABC’s “Good Morning America” they were handcuffed within minutes of arriving at the store April 12 for a business meeting.
Ross said he was not aware that Starbucks allows people to sit in stores without making a purchase.
“I can appreciate, in light of the Starbucks policy and how well known it is to many, why these two men were appalled when asked to leave and for this reason, me, I apologize to them,” Ross told reporters.
Being accused of a crime that you did not commit and may not have had anything to do with can be life-changing. Even worse, there is no guarantee that the charges will be dismissed or that you will not be found guilty down the road.
Unfortunately, being falsely accused of a crime can happen to anyone. Correspondingly, if you find yourself being falsely charged with a crime, you need to take immediate action to protect yourself.
Although you might know that you are innocent, determining how to proceed or what your legal rights are can be confusing. Furthermore, your first step should always be to reach out to an experienced criminal defense attorney who has handled cases where the accused faced similar criminal charges to the ones that you are currently dealing with.
Additionally, if you are living in Philadelphia, the importance of hiring a team of bucks county criminal lawyers immediately, even if you are still just a suspect, cannot be emphasized enough. Put simply, a locally based lawyer can help you develop a defense strategy to fight any criminal charges you might need to face.
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