Augustus: Issue with Roseville police is resolved
October 11, 2012
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Basketball Writer
Minnesota Lynx star Seimone Augustus didn't hide her displeasure with police in suburban Minneapolis earlier this week when she took to Twitter to criticize what she felt was an unfair traffic stop.
After talking with the police chief for Roseville, Augustus said Wednesday that she is ready to move on and focus on preparing for the WNBA Finals.
“We had a great conversation on the phone and went over the incident,” Augustus said after practice. “It’s just something that happens. It’s a mishap that happened. Both parties were angry about what happened and it's a move on. We’re settled and we’re moving on from here.”
Augustus was pulled over on Monday October 8 near the Rosedale Shopping Center for having an air freshener hanging from her mirror. That violates a state statute. Augustus, who is black and was driving a car with license plates from her home state of Louisiana, appeared upset because she thought it was a case of racial profiling.
A Roseville police spokesman says the stop had nothing to do with race and added that Augustus was only issued a warning.
“She had a conversation with the chief in the late afternoon hours about the event, with Seimone giving her side and chief explaining why we do what we do,” Roseville Lt. Loren Rosand said. “Seimone learned why we do what we do and chief also gleaned some info from her that we’re going to pass on to the department.”
The Lynx are going for their second straight WNBA title, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday night against either Indiana or Connecticut. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said she supported her leading scorer speaking out when she thought she was wronged.
“It shines light on a bigger problem, which is racial profiling,” Reeve said.
Rosand said the department takes allegations of racial profiling “very seriously.”
“It wasn’t racially motivated,” he said. “There was a violation of a state statute. We stopped the vehicle, spoke with the driver, explained the situation and issued a warning.”