Richmond police chief apologizes for wrongful towing of car linked to shooting

Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards issued an apology after the Richmond Police Department mistakenly identified and towed the wrong vehicle in connection with a double shooting, NBC12 reported. The car, a Hyundai Elantra owned by Rosalyn Crump, was damaged during the towing process.

Edwards explained that based on the information available at the time, including data from license plate readers, police believed they had probable cause to tow and search the vehicle for evidence. However, officers later discovered that the car involved in the shooting was a different make, model year, and color, and that Crump's vehicle was not connected to the incident.

The incident occurred during the summer, and Edwards noted that some surveillance cameras were offline initially, which contributed to the confusion. He expressed regret for the damage caused to Crump's car and said the towing company, Seiberts, has acknowledged the damage and attempted to work with her.

The situation has added to ongoing scrutiny of Richmond's use of Flock cameras, which assist law enforcement with license plate reading. Richmond’s mayor has announced the city will not renew its contract with Flock when it expires in June. Edwards defended the cameras, stating it was not appropriate to blame Flock for the error.

Edwards emphasized that Ms. Crump did nothing wrong and reiterated his apology for the mistake and the damage caused to her vehicle during the tow.