PHILADELPHIA _ The 911 call that sparked international outrage over the arrests of two black men in a Philadelphia Starbucks last Thursday lasted around 20 seconds, according to audio of the call and subsequent police radio chatter released Tuesday by Philadelphia Police.
According to the audio compilation, which was posted on the department's YouTube page, a female caller dialed 911 at 4:37 p.m. and calmly spoke to a 911 operator.
"Hi, I have two gentlemen in my cafe who are refusing to make a purchase or leave," the woman said. The operator, also a woman, said she would send police to the store at 18th and Spruce streets, and the call ended.
Three minutes later, a male radio dispatcher said a "group of males" was "refusing to leave" the store, according to the audio compilation. About four minutes after that, another man said over the radio that a "group of males" was "causing a disturbance" and he called for backup and a supervisor. The final radio call was made at 5 p.m., with an officer reporting the arrests of the two men.
The audio recordings provide the first accounting of how police officers were summoned to the Starbucks and communicated with dispatchers before arresting the two men. The incident was captured on video and shared on social media, which prompted an avalanche of backlash against the coffee chain and the Police Department.
The manager who called police has since left the store, and Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson visited Philadelphia on Monday and apologized.
Commissioner Richard Ross said over the weekend that the officers had acted appropriately. The executive director of the Police Advisory Commission, a civilian oversight board, said the officers acted "in accordance with the law" and department policies, but he noted that "we cannot discount the likelihood that the race of these men played an integral part in the precipitation and overall outcome of this incident."
