Dallas Police Reportedly Detained Pleasant Grove Homeowners After Mistaking Them for Burglars

Earlier this month, Sha-Galia Felder and her son Alexander were eating dinner and watching Netflix during a quiet weekend night at home. But around 9:45 p.m., they heard a loud banging and saw flashlights outside the front door.

When Alexander jumped up to investigate, he saw two Dallas police officers holding up their guns, according to FOX 4 News. One was already standing inside the house.

The officers had let themselves in through an unlocked, glass storm door, behind which the front door stood ajar. Law enforcement assumed the Felders had broken into the Pleasant Grove home after a neighbor called 911 to report what they thought was a burglary.

But to Alexander, the way that police handled the case could have quickly spiraled out of control.

"I want some change. Miscommunication could have led to somebody being hurt, seriously hurt or killed,” he said, according to that outlet. “I appreciate them responding, wholeheartedly, but I don’t appreciate how they assessed the situation. How they handled it was very poor.”

On Saturday, Oct. 16, police responded to a 911 call from someone who thought that the Dallas home on Menefee Drive was being robbed, according to FOX 4.

The caller later explained to Alexander that when they’d driven to dinner that night, they saw the Felders’ front door open. When they drove back home and the door was still open, they called the police to report a suspected burglary.

After law enforcement arrived, Alexander held up his hands and asked why they were there, complying with officers’ commands. His mother said she asked police for permission before getting up.

Standing outside on the front porch, Alexander spoke with Dallas officers while a neighbor filmed on their phone. The neighbor also tried explaining to police that the Felders lived at the home, according to FOX.

When Sha-Galia eventually stepped outside, she peppered police with questions about why they were there and why they had their guns drawn. Officers told her that they thought something was wrong because of the way Alexander had run toward the front door.

What was wrong, Sha-Galia countered, was that police had startled them with their loud banging.

"Whatever happened to knocking on the door? ‘Sir, ma'am, we got a phone call and we just want to stop and check to make sure everything is OK,’” she said. “But that’s not what happened."

Sha-Galia wants an apology from Dallas police but hasn’t received one, according to the article. The incident prompted her to file an internal affairs complaint with the department.

A DPD spokesperson told the Observer that the department’s Internal Affairs Division has been communicating with Sha-Galia, who has also been advised to submit a complaint.

The spokesperson declined to provide specific details about the incident until the division has reviewed the complaint. Officials will also decide whether to launch an administrative investigation.