Eric Andre Says He Was Racially Profiled by Police at Atlanta Airport: ‘Be Careful’
Zack Sharf
Comedian Eric Andre took to social media April 21 to share with his followers that he was racially profiled and searched for drugs before boarding a flight at an Atlanta airport. Andre wrote in a tweet that he was “racially profiled by two plain clothes Atlanta PD police in Delta terminal T3 at the Atlanta airport,” adding, “They stopped me on the way down the bridge to the plane for a ‘random’ search and asked [if] they could search me for drugs. I told them no. Be careful.”
In a statement to Variety, the director of public affairs for the Atlanta Police Department said there are several law enforcement agencies dispatched to the Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta. The director said the Atlanta Police Department was not involved in allegedly profiling Andre. Variety notes police officers for Clayton County, Georgia also operate in the airport.
“The Atlanta Police Department became aware of Mr. Andre’s social media posts, prior to news media reaching out to us,” the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement. “As soon as we learned of Mr. Andre’s complaint, we began gathering information on what occurred. We have determined the Atlanta Police Department was not involved in this interaction.”
The statement continues: “The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is somewhat unique in that multiple law enforcement agencies operate there. It appears this incident involved members of another agency. Additionally, members of APD’s Airport Drug Interdiction Unit do not randomly approach travelers and ask to search them. Searches are conducted based on some type of evidence or indication of criminal activity.”
Andre shared on Twitter later that he was “fine” and had boarded his flight. A representative for the Drug Enforcement Agency also told Variety its members were not involved in the situation. Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms wrote to Andre on Twitter, saying, “Sorry to hear about your experience. It’s my understanding that this was not APD, but another one of the many agencies working in the airport. We are working to confirm.”
Andre is popular comedian best known for hosting “The Eric Andre Show” on Adult Swim. His most recent movie, the prank comedy “Bad Trip,” debuted on Netflix at the end of March.
@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
Hearing it might be @DEAHQ at gate T3 racially profiling passengers and not the @Atlanta_Police does anyone have answers? @Delta @POTUS @KeishaBottoms
— Eric Andre (@ericandre) April 21, 2021
Thanks for responding. It might be @DEAHQ looking for answers.
— Eric Andre (@ericandre) April 21, 2021
