State police hold Journal photographer at gunpoint

August 20, 2011

tonight we talk to an albuquerque journal photographer -mistaken for a gunman. he says he feared state police were going to shoot him. cristina rodda talked to the photographer and state police about the incident... cristina? state police say their officers did everything by the book when they pointed a gun and handcuffed a albuquerque journal photographer... but the photographer sees things much differently. "i knew that the best thing could do was to stay relaxed and follow the instructions and any sudden move i could have been dead. it didn't turn out that way... but when photojournalist adolphe pierre-louis woke up wednesday morning he expected a normal day. "i got a call from my editor about 11 o'clock in the morning telling me that we're doing a story about the drought and it's affect on cattle in new mexico." while heading east on i-40--outside of buquerque -- doing 72 miles per hour-- he realized he was being pulled over .. "the officer was crouched behind the driver side door with his gun pointed at me. pierre-louis got out of the suv with his hands up and got on his knees as instructed by the officer. then he was handcuffed-- he stayed that way by the side of the highway for about half an hour. he was frightened. one false move and you can end up dead-- especially in light of everything happening here in albuquerque where you have 19 polilce shootings in a year and a half. the officer told pierre-louis the s-u-v he was driving matched that of a man suspected of pulling a gun on another man a few miles away. pierre-louis says he offered his press badge, his state id and he even had photography gear in the suv that was registered to the journal. state police brought the victim over.... he said the suspect was bald and hispanic. police then let pierre-louis go. "i'll apologize for him to him on the behalf of the department and you are correct it was mistaken identity ." but police say the way pierre-louis was treated is no different than any other case involving a possible violent crime suspect. we also our training and our job sometimes these things happen unfortunately that day - pierre-louis.. went back to work and got the shot he was after .... a good shot too. but it's a day that has changed him. "as someone who came to this country 30 years ago with a dream to do what i am doing today i have never had to experience something that humiliating in my life state police say they will contact pierre-louis and apologize for the case of mistaken identity.