EDITOR'S NOTE:
The full statement from the Waco Police Department can be found at the end of the article.
A trip to a local fast food place soon became the worst night for Charlene Barnes and her three young children.
- The Barnes Family was held at gunpoint
- Barnes said she never received an explanation until she called Waco PD
- Police provided 25 News a statement, seen below
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“I’ve never about telling a 4th grader and 6th grader how to be held at gunpoint by the cops," said Charlene Barnes, a Valley Mills resident.
It was a conversation Charlene Barnes thought she would have with her kids when they got older — but not anymore. This all started on March 22, when the family went to pick up a mobile order from a fast food place.
Watch Chantale talk about the experience with the Barnes family:
“My 15-year-old old who just now got his learner's permit, he’s learning to drive. We pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the drive-thru. I turned around to say Carter put on your seat belt. He’s 10. That’s when I saw an officer approaching our vehicle pointing his assault rifle aimed at my 15-year-old and that’s when I heard an officer saying stop the vehicle, stop the vehicle …yelling and shouting at us to get out of the car, get on the ground," said Barnes.
Barnes said she and her boys followed the officer's instructions and immediately got on the floor.
Waco Police provided me with a statement:
“The initial call received stated that there were two Black males in the car with children, and the individuals had weapons. Officers thought the vehicle backing away was the suspect vehicle and immediately conducted a stop, ordering everyone to get out of the car and get on the ground. When employees corrected the officers and stated it was the other vehicle, the officers immediately apologized and let the initial individuals go."
Barnes said police were looking for a black vehicle, but the Barnes' family SUV is silver.
Although police said they apologized twice on the scene Barnes said she never received an explanation until she called Waco PD.
“They didn’t tell us, they didn’t ask for our identification, they didn’t tell us what was going on. It was just like you can go. And I was thinking you had an assault rifle pointed at my little boys and you had an assault rifle at my little boys and that’s all you can tell me I can go," said Barnes.
The manager of the restaurant also said no apology was given.
"They didn’t say sorry, they didn’t say none of that. They just let them get up and get in the car and go on. I wasn’t scared for myself because they weren’t there for me but I was scared for the family because she has little kids," said the fast-food manager.
Barnes said she filed a complaint with police and someone eventually apologized to her over the phone. But she thinks that’s not enough to take away the damage to her and her boys.
“That little innocence they had is just gone. It sucks because everyone loves the police and Carter loved the police and waving and stuff at the school and it’s not ever going to be like that again," said Barnes.
Below is the full statement from the Waco Police Department regarding the incident with the Barnes family:
"Waco Police Department Officers were dispatched to a possible disturbance at a business near the 4300 Block of Franklin Ave. on March 22, 2025.
The initial call received stated that there were two Black males in the car with children, and the individuals had weapons. When officers arrived, employees stated to officers that the suspects were leaving and pointed in the direction of two vehicles, one of which was backing away. Officers thought the vehicle backing away was the suspect vehicle and immediately conducted a stop, ordering everyone to get out of the car and get on the ground. When employees corrected the officers and stated it was the other vehicle, the officers immediately apologized and let the initial individuals go, then conducted a stop on the second vehicle, ordering everyone out of the suspect vehicle to get on the ground.
No weapons were located, and the individuals who caused a disturbance were given a criminal trespass warning."
