**Omaha Police Chief Addresses Controversial Stop of Champion Boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford**
*OMAHA, Neb.* — The police chief of Nebraska’s largest city acknowledged Friday that police nationwide are more likely to pull Black people out of their cars at gunpoint than other racial groups, as Omaha grapples with growing outrage over champion boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford being ordered out of his car at gunpoint only hours after the city held a downtown celebration in his honor.
“Quite frankly, that is generally a true statement. The number of stops are disproportionate. That is nationwide,” Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said at a news conference addressing an internal investigation into Crawford’s traffic stop.
The police confrontation with Crawford, who is Black, has reignited long-simmering tensions between Omaha’s Black community and its police force.
Omaha Senator Terrell McKinney, one of three Black state lawmakers in the Nebraska Legislature and a vocal critic of Omaha police and the state’s justice system, said he was disappointed — but not surprised — by the police stop.
“I urge the people to keep speaking out and demanding real change boldly and unapologetically,” McKinney said in a Facebook post earlier this week. “Our lives are at risk, and we have endured oppression for far too long.”
According to a U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics’ special report released in 2022, Black and Hispanic people were more likely than white people to experience the threat or use of force by police in 2020. Black people were also more likely to be shouted at by police than white people.
**Police Chief Long an Advocate for Community Policing**
Schmaderer has long supported community policing strategies that aim to build trust between officers and the public they serve. He acknowledged Friday the community’s anger over the treatment of Crawford — a hometown favorite after making history as the first male boxer to capture three unified division titles.
“We understand the importance of this traffic stop to our community, and the implications and the impression it has given out,” Schmaderer said.
However, he added that the nearly completed internal investigation into the traffic stop indicates the officers involved did not violate department policy.
**Details of the Traffic Stop**
According to police reports, officers spotted a high-performance sedan without license plates pulling out of a downtown parking garage around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday. The vehicle quickly accelerated to more than twice the 25 mph (40 kph) speed limit.
The officers did not know Crawford was driving the car when they initiated the stop.
Two officers approached the vehicle — one on the passenger side and the other on the driver’s side. Schmaderer said the initial interaction was cordial, as assessed from body camera footage.
Crawford, who was driving, told the officer at his window that the car was new and “had gotten away from him.” At that point, a member of Crawford’s security team sitting in the passenger seat informed the officer that he was carrying a legal handgun.
Crawford, leaning over the car’s console, told the officer he also had a legal firearm. However, the officer on the driver’s side window did not hear that exchange.
The officer on the driver’s side then spotted Crawford’s gun on the floorboard by his feet, drew his service weapon, and ordered Crawford and three other occupants out of the vehicle.
Schmaderer said Crawford and the others were handcuffed for about 10 minutes.
Police later confirmed that all occupants were legally permitted to carry firearms and released them after approximately 30 minutes. Crawford was ticketed on suspicion of reckless driving.
Crawford’s spokesperson declined to comment on the incident.
**Video of the Incident Will Not Be Released, Chief Says**
Schmaderer stated he will not release police video of the stop unless Crawford consents.
“We don’t have a fatality here. We don’t have an officer-involved shooting, and it’s generally not our protocol to release that footage under those circumstances,” he explained.
**Context of the Stop**
Crawford’s stop came just hours after Omaha held a parade through downtown streets in his honor, followed by a birthday celebration at a live music venue near where the stop occurred.
The city celebration marked Crawford’s recent achievement of earning the unified super middleweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez on September 13 in Las Vegas.
Crawford holds an undefeated professional record of 42-0 with 31 knockouts.
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**Photos:**
– Terence “Bud” Crawford fighting David Avanesyan during a WBO welterweight title bout on December 10, 2022, in Omaha, Neb. — AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz, File
– Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer, Mayor John Ewing, and Ewing’s chief of staff, Tom Warren, at the news conference on October 3, 2025, addressing Crawford’s traffic stop. — AP Photo/Margery Beck
https://www.phillytrib.com/news/a-black-champion-boxer-was-held-by-police-at-gunpoint-the-police-chief-says-he/article_9b063b88-93c6-4202-a90c-d2f18d6ae558.html
