Judge: Raleigh police don't have to release body cam video of raid of wrong house
Amir Abboud remembers the morning of April 7, 2021.
“I was just making coffee in the kitchen, heard loud knocking on the door,” he said. “Before I could step out of the kitchen, our door was busted down.”
He and his family hoped a judge would rule that Raleigh police had to release their body camera video of the raid, which targeted Abboud’s home based on incorrect information.
On Thursday, Abboud learned that Wake County judge Matthew Houston would not order that release. His decision cited, “the recordings contain information that is otherwise confidential or exempt from disclosure or release under state or federal law.”
The judge said too much time has passed since the warrant was served and the video doesn't have a compelling public interest.
Abboud and his family committed no crimes. They wanted the video to be released to the public to help them move on with their lives and to hold Raleigh police accountable for their mistake.
Abboud said they were looking for a drug dealer in his neighborhood. He happened to fit the description.
“It was a traumatizing experience,” Abboud said. “I heard one knock and banging. It went by so quick.”
Abboud said his son was on the ground crawling in the living room as police drew their guns, shouting “hands up!”
“My wife is still … afraid something like that is going to happen again,” he said.
Raleigh police and State Bureau of Investigation [SBI] agents realized they had the wrong person of interest, even though the address was correct on the warrant.
This week, law school students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill petitioned a judge for the release of the body camera video of that day. They believed it would help the Abbouds rewrite their narrative and show police transparency.
"We are shocked to see this ruling today," the students wrote in a statement. "We think it's clear that there is a compelling public interest in this matter."
The group of students cited the media presence during this week's hearing.
"We believe this to be a blow to transparency and accountability to the public," the statement reads.
Raleigh police disagreed with the request, stating the release bears no significance to the case. Raleigh police argued the search warrant was "valid on its face."
“The public needs to know what is going on, and people need to be held accountable for what they did,” Abboud said.
The Abbouds said they don’t want something similar to happen to another family.
Abboud has also filed a civil lawsuit against the SBI regarding this case. Raleigh police did give the Abbouds the body camera video but will not release it to the public.
