UPDATED 4/22, 10:34 am ET: Eric Andre has said the plainclothes officers who racially profiled him at Atlanta Airport asked if he was transporting meth.
“I’ve been detained and questioned three times in my life at the airport, for drugs every time,” he told TMZ after arriving in Los Angeles. “Never had drugs on me, clearly profiled.”
Andre speculated about which agency was responsible for the interaction but stopped short of pinning the blame on one just yet. “They asked if I was transporting methamphetamines,” he added.
The 38-year-old said the two cops asked to search his bag, but he declined. “I’m not Walter White from Breaking Bad,” he joked, adding that he’s planning to talk about the situation on Kimmel this week.
Eventually Clayton County’s police department took responsibility for the incident and released a statement, which Andre called “sad and full of misinformation.”
The statement alleges that the officers “made a consensual encounter” with him, and he “voluntarily provided the investigators informations as to his travel plans.” The statement also claims Andre “consented to a search of his luggage but the investigators chose not to do so.”
Replying to the statement, Eric Andre reiterated that he did not volunteer to a search. “You guys flashed your badge and detained me with no probable cause except for racism,” he wrote. “This is JIM CROW RACISM @ClaytonCountyPD I DID NOT VOLUNTEER TO A SEARCH. YOU ARE HARASSING ME. THIS IS RACISM!”
Additionally, Atlanta Airport released a statement and said the Clayton County Drug Task Force was behind the “random” search. “Officials from ATL and APD are scheduled to meet with Clayton County law enforcement officers next week to review procedures.”
See original story below.
Eric Andre tweeted that he was racially profiled by two plainclothes officers who stopped him for a “random” search at Atlanta Airport on Wednesday.
“I was just racially profiled by two plain clothes Atlanta PD police in Delta terminal T3 at the Atlanta airport,” tweeted the Bad Trip star. “They stopped me on the way down the bridge to the plane for a ‘random’ search and asked they could search me for drugs. I told them no. Be careful.”
Andre followed it up with a tweet directed at Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “Please help me,” he wrote. “Please someone get me the name of a good Atlanta lawyer.”
In another tweet directed at the mayor, Eric asked for the names of the officers. “Talking to my lawyer now,” he added. “They let me go. I’m on the plane in the air. I’m fine now but I want this reported. please any Atlanta lawyer reach out to me. … At that moment, I was the only POC on line. @KeishaBottoms I know this isn’t the PD you want representing your airports. #racism #racialprofiling #jimcrow #racistwarondrugs.”
Delta has yet to respond to any of his tweets. “We filmed most of @BadTripMovie in your lovely city,” he said in another message directed at Bottoms “Bummer this is the way @Atlanta_Police treats POC traveling their [sic] for work. @Delta should know this is happening on their jet bridge.”
The Atlanta Police Department said it was not involved in the incident—a claim that Mayor Bottoms is now trying to confirm.
“It’s my understanding that this was not APD, but another one of the many agencies working in the airport,” Bottoms told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We are working to confirm.”
Read Eric Andre’s tweets on being racially profiled in Atlanta below.
@Atlanta_Police “I was just racially profiled by two plain clothes Atlanta PD police in @Delta terminal T3 at the Atlanta airport. They stopped me on the way down the bridge to the plane for a “random” search and asked they could search me for drugs. I told them no. Be careful.
— Eric Andre (@ericandre) April 21, 2021
@KeishaBottoms please help me. Two of your officers stopped me on the jet bridge at terminal three in the Atlanta airport for a “random” drug search. Please someone get me the name of a good Atlanta lawyer. @delta @Atlanta_Police #jimcrow #racialprofiling. .
— Eric Andre (@ericandre) April 21, 2021
@KeishaBottoms if anyone is at @delta terminal T3 in Atlanta please get me the officers names. Talking to my lawyer now. Need a good Atlanta lawyer. #racism #racialprofiling #racistwarondrugs #jimcrow
— Eric Andre (@ericandre) April 21, 2021
They let me go. I’m on the plane in the air. I’m fine now but I want this reported. Please any Atlanta lawyer reach out to me. @KeishaBottoms #racialprofiling #jimcrowgeorgia terminal T3 Atlanta airport.
— Eric Andre (@ericandre) April 21, 2021
At that moment, I was the only POC on line. @KeishaBottoms I know this isn’t the PD you want representing in your airports. #racism #racialprofiling #jimcrow #racistwarondrugs @delta
— Eric Andre (@ericandre) April 21, 2021
@KeishaBottoms we filmed most of @BadTripTheMovie in your lovely city. Bummer this is the way @Atlanta_Police treats POC traveling their for work. @delta should know this is happening on their jet bridge.
— Eric Andre (@ericandre) April 21, 2021
If anyone is at Atlanta airport gate T3 @delta let me know the officers names so I can file a complaint.
— Eric Andre (@ericandre) April 21, 2021
