Thousands attend community meeting after videotaped Phoenix Police encounter goes viral

PHOENIX (FOX 10) - The city of Phoenix has organized a community meeting at a downtown church to discuss a videotaped encounter involving police officers who pointed guns and yelled profanities at a couple after their 4-year-old daughter took a doll from a store.

The video released Friday shows officers aiming guns and yelling profane commands at Dravon Ames and his pregnant fiancee, Iesha Harper, as she held their 1-year-old daughter.

Another video which was released this week by Phoenix PD showed what took place inside the Family Dollar store last month. You can see Ames looking at the underwear rack, grabbing something and walking away. He's accused of shoplifting the underwear. The couple's daughter is also accused of taking a doll from the store without paying for it. Ames and Harper say they didn't know she took it, but the video shows the little girl walking toward her mother with the box in clear view as the family heads out of the store.

"The police report is full of lies and if you have any questions about that, I don't want to hear them," stated Ames during a news conference. "Police are putting guns to my daughter's face and you're asking me about some drawers."

Video outside the store shows a man trying to figure out what to do as a police officer heads into the store. Less than a minute after the family left, the officer leaves the frame, clearly looking to stop them.

Mayor Kate Gallego and Police Chief Jeri Williams are expected at the Tuesday night meeting to discuss concerns over the video and propose solutions. Both have apologized publicly for the incident. The family says they want to see the officers fired and have filed a $10 million claim against the city alleging civil rights violations.

The officers involved have not been fired, but were pulled from street duty.

At the meeting, attendees are asked to bring only clear water bottles and no large bags or signs. A crowd of more than 1,000 people waited in long lines, and squeezed inside the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church to hear stories of police encounters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.