Young mom left shaken after being detained by police at gunpoint over a clerical error
Ana Castanada, 24, was pulled over by Colorado police with her 3-year-old child in the back seat on Nov. 13. Officers then drew their guns and made her lay on her stomach while putting her in handcuffs. As Denver7 points out, although her car was reported stolen, officers were surprised to see her immediately pull over when they flashed their lights.
"She is not taking off, which is interesting," one officer is heard saying in an Aurora Police Department body camera footage provided to Denver7.
"So, she may not know that it's stolen," another officer said.
Either way, Castanada said she was afraid for her life when she realized it wasn't a standard traffic stop.
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"I was scared for my life, my kid's life," Castanda said. "They had all their guns drawn out at me. Then, they handcuff me, they put their knee on my back, which is kind of painful. So, I can see people's perspective of why they don't like that situation."
"In my head I was like, I know I didn't do anything wrong. It has to be a mistake on their part. This is crazy. I was scared. I was like, I better just do as I'm told," Castanada said. She then told the officer that the vehicle was indeed hers and she had just gotten it back after it was repossessed. Police later confirmed that the dealership that repossessed the car had not reported it stolen.
Castanada was later released and received multiple apologies from police. As it turns out, the incident was the result of a clerical error where someone "actually checkmarked the wrong box from 'repossessed' to 'stolen,'" Aurora Police Department spokesperson Matthew Longshore said.
"I can't remember the last time something like this happened. Just a clerical error in our record unit that has since been addressed by the supervisor, and now [there is] more of a checks and balances type thing," Longshore said.
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Watch Denver7's report on the story below:
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