Taraji P. Henson finally apologized for claiming that her son, Marcel Johnson, was racially profiled by an officer from the Glendale Police Department during a traffic stop.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Henson made a public apology to the officer accused in the incident hours after a 40-minute video of her son's run-in with the police went viral.
"I would like to publicly apologize to the officer and the Glendale Police Department," Henson wrote on Instagram, along with the hashtags #TurningANegativeIntoAPositive #LoveTarajiPHenson.
"A mother's job is not easy and neither is a police officer's," the "Empire" star added. "Sometimes as humans WE over react without gathering all of the facts. As a mother in this case, I overreacted and for that I apologize. Thank you to that officer for being kind to my son."
The viral footage show's Henson's son was not unlawfully steered when the officer asked him to stop, People has learned. It also shows that the officer had asked 20-year-old Johnson to stop because he was driving through lighted crosswalk while someone was walking on it.
Furthermore, the video also exposes Johnson's admission of smoking marijuana two hours before driving. Marcel also reportedly confessed he has unprescribed Ritalin at the time of the incident though authorities never found traces of the attention deficit disorder (ADD) drug in his car.
The viral footage confirmed that no racial discrimination happened. In fact, the officer was considerate enough to not give Henson's son a citation for running the yellow light.
As the officer explained, the citation will put a moving violation on Johnson's license and he'll be sent to traffic schools. But instead of giving a violation, the officer just gave Taraji's son a desecration for the weed.
"The contact and actions with Marcel Johnson were legal, professional and empathetic," Police Chief Robert Casto said.
Meanwhile, Marcel said in an interview that the "racial profiling" at the University of Southern Carolina prompted him to transfer to Howard University in Washington D.C., Daily Mail reported.
Because of the issue, the University's Department of Public Safety Chief John Thomas said in a statement that he would like to meet Henson and her son to further discuss their concerns, The Hollywood Reporter shared.
