When Courtney Wilson and Taylor Guerrero embarked on their first visit to Hawaii from their home in Los Angeles earlier this year, they had no idea they would end up arrested for simply displaying their affection in a grocery store. However, when the happy couple stopped at a Foodland store on Oahu’s North Shore during the second day of their vacation, they were met with a belligerent off-duty officer who they say violently bombarded them following public displays of affection.
"We’re used to people making remarks here and there," Wilson toldHawaii News Now, though Officer Bobby Harrison’s alleged actions far exceed that of the usual "remarks." The couple says they were walking through the grocery store while holding hands before they "exchanged cheek kisses," at which point Harrison allegedly started screaming at them. "He was like, 'You girls! You girls can't do that in here!'" Guerrero told reporters, adding that they simply kept shopping before Harrison’s harassment quickly escalated. According to the New York Daily News, Harrison then followed the couple to the checkout line before becoming violent :
The couple said they walked away and kept shopping, but when they were affectionate again, Harrison threatened to have them thrown out of the shop and followed them to the checkout line.
After suffering further harassment in "the basement of Foodland," the couple was arrested and ultimately charged with felony assault of an officer. After spending three days in jail, both women paid a bail bondsman $1,300 for a bail set at a ridiculous $12,000 each. Wilson and Guerrero were then forced to remain in Honolulu as part of their "condition of release," forcing the Los Angeles couple to figure out a way to suddenly start living in Hawaii. In addition to crashing with "family-friends" and generous strangers, the couple also spent nights in various homeless shelters and even camped out in local parks.
On Wednesday, the Honolulu Police Department officially opened an internal investigation centered on Officer Harrison’s actions. Earlier this week, Wilson and Guerrero filed a federal lawsuit against both the arresting officer and the city. The charges against the couple were eventually dropped.
