*A routine traffic stop in Omaha escalated into a tense scene when police pointed guns at world champion boxer Terence Crawford and his passengers. The stop occurred early Saturday morning on Cass Street, with Crawford’s head of security, Qasim Shabazz, seated beside him.
“A cop comes to my window. Cop goes to Bud’s window. I know the protocol,” Shabazz recalled, per KETV. Police officials, however, said the situation intensified after an officer spotted a firearm near Crawford’s feet as he reached for his license and registration.
Mayor John Ewing, Jr. explained the officers’ actions, stating, “He asked Mr. Crawford to exit the vehicle, and he did. And then Mr. Crawford was placed in handcuffs while they conducted their investigation.” Three other passengers were also ordered out of the vehicle at gunpoint and handcuffed.
Investigators reported recovering two firearms, but confirmed all occupants were legally allowed to carry them. Shabazz disputes that Crawford reached for paperwork at all. “He told him, ‘No, I don’t have it on me. I left everything at home.’ He had already told them. So there was no reason for him to reach for anything,” he said.
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Shabazz also claimed that once he and Crawford informed officers about their firearms, the tone changed dramatically. “Bud said, ‘I have a firearm too.’ The cop on his side — he went ballistic. Totally unhinged. He says, ‘Get your hands up. Get out the car. Don’t reach, don’t reach.’ But there was never a physical gun in sight,” Shabazz said. “Everyone thought we were going to die, man.”
The encounter ended with Crawford being charged with reckless driving. Shabazz insists that the initial reason for the stop was speeding and claims that the officers could not prove it. “Bud said, ‘Well, how do you know I was speeding if you don’t have radar?’ OK. But I actually have the cop on camera saying, ‘I cannot — I admit that I do not have radar,'” Shabazz explained.
After the incident, Mayor Ewing contacted Crawford directly. “Myself, my chief of staff Tom Warren — both reached out to Mr. Crawford, and he indicated that he would like us to do an investigation,” the mayor said.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer then authorized an internal affairs review, with Ewing emphasizing transparency as the process moves forward.
“Our job is to not speculate. Our job is to get the facts out to the people of this community, and then be transparent in every step of the process,” he said. While Omaha police
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