Former ‘SNL’ Star Jay Pharoah Reveals Terrifying Encounter with Police, Reveals Footage
Actor and comedian Jay Pharoah is opening up about an alarming experience with police that happened around the same time as the Ahmaud Arbery fatal shooting. The former Saturday Night Live star posted a video on social media and appeared on daytime television to discuss it.
The story was shared on Instagram
Pharoah revealed that he was stopped by Los Angeles police while he as on a run. Security footage shows drawn on him. He said one of the officers kneeled on his neck, similar to what happened in George Floyd’s murder by police.
He produced a video detailing what happened and posted it to Instagram. Pharoah captioned the post, “I am a Black man in America, proud to be but this is AMERICA #BlackFilter. Proud to have collabed w/ so many influencers on this one, @theonlycarey thank you for allowing me to express my situation w/ temperance.” Footage from the actual incident was included in the video.
“I see a gun from my peripheral and I look and the officer is like, ‘Freeze…get on the ground,’ and I’m like ‘Oh snap,'” he said in the video. “Three more officers drove up…it’s hot, corona is definitely something to be worried about, the police officers didn’t have on gloves, they didn’t have on masks…When they put me in cuffs, after they were all on me, an officer put his knee on my neck.”
Pharoah also explained in the video that he told the officers to Google his name. The officers were soon told that the actual suspect had been caught and they apologized, according to Pharoah.
The actor and comedian also shared his story on the talk
Aside from posting the video on Instagram, Pharoah also appeared on The Talk on CBS this week to talk about the incident.
He said, “I see a gun from my peripheral and I look and the officer is like, ‘Freeze – get on the ground,’ and I’m like ‘Oh snap’…” Pharoah said he was ordered to drop to the ground and “spread your arms like an airplane.”
“It could have easily turned into another situation if I wasn’t who I am,” he continued. “And the point here is being Black in America, is just that, being Black in America. Other people can’t level with the same fears I have. Leaving the house, we should not have to fear going to the grocery store, going to get some gas, running down the street. It’s called human civility. That’s what it is. It’s about being a human.”
