WTH?! Baltimore Cops Admit to Planting Toy Guns When They Shot Unarmed People

The Baltimore police department--the same department where Freddie Gray got his spine crushed while in their custody--is in U.S. District Court court for one of the largest police corruption cases this nation has ever seen. 

And what they are accused of looks straight out of an episode of The Wire, except it's all happening in real life!!!

According to the Baltimore Sun, the case started with the drug overdose of a 19-year-old from New Jersey in Harford County in 2011. When authorities tried to find out who supplied the teen with the drugs, it was linked back to a Baltimore police officer who was rolling with a major drug crew. But that's just the beginning. 

From there, the investigation led them all the way to one of the department's most elite groups, the Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force. And so far, eight members of that group are facing FEDERAL INDICTMENTS for their illegal and suspect behavior. 

The Sun reported that this behavior includes: Racketeering, executing searches without warrants, invading private homes, robbing suspects and innocent citizens of cash and reselling drugs on the street.

Oh, and did we mention that one officer, Detective Maurice Ward, testified that his crew’s supervisor, Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, instructed the officers to carry toy guns TO PLANT if they found themselves in a bind. 

Ward said the reasoning was “[having them just] in case we accidentally hit somebody or got into a shootout, so we could plant them.”

YEAH...DIRTY AF!

As of now, six have pled guilty and four are working with the government and will be testifying in court sometime soon. Meanwhile, two detectives, Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor, have pled not guilty and are going to take their chances in court.

And of course, Twitter had A LOT to say about this utter lack of respect for Black lives and due process:

None of this should be a big shock for y'all. Many communities across America already believe that police protect Blue Lives, instead of the communities they are paid to protect. 

This is a sentiment that Christopher Ervin, the founder of the re-entry group The Lazarus Rite, completely agrees with. 

Ervin recently told the Sun that the Gun Trace Task Force allegations are “shocking for people who don’t live in those communities.”

He added: “In the Black community, this is not shocking at all. You get a chorus of, ‘We’ve been saying that.’ ”

WORD. And be clear: This type of behavior isn't just relegated to the Baltimore Police Department. This is happening all over the country!

STAY WOKE!

FAM: What do you think about these allegations? Are you surprised? Weigh in!!!