Speaking to the media within hours of the incident, Thorne said they feared they would all be killed, while Brown accused the police and the caller who had reported the break-in of racial prejudice.
The incident sparked an angry response from Charlie Oppler, the president of the National Association of Realtors, who issued a statement accusing the police of racial profiling, describing the detainment of Brown as “deeply disturbing”.
He said: “While, thankfully, neither Brown nor his clients were physically harmed in the incident, racial profiling – and the humiliation, indignity and trauma that comes with it – has no place in our country.”
The lawsuit claimed that the plaintiffs would not have received the same treatment if they had not been black. “Had the Plaintiffs not been African American men, they would not have been held at gun point, would not have been detained, and would not have been handcuffed.”
The lawsuit also pointed out that the cars and license plates did not match the previous suspect’s.