Police officer says he was ‘humiliated’ after being asked to pay at Chick-fil-A while white colleagues ate for free

A black cop was ‘humiliated’ at a Chick-fil-A after being asked to pay for his meal while his white colleagues received theirs for free.

Sergeant Tracy Reed of the Clover Police Department was ‘almost in a rage’ after claiming he was the only officer in the group who paid for his order in what he called a ‘blatantly racist’ incident.

‘I was kind of humiliated and embarrassed, you know, at the whole situation because it seemed like it was a, it seemed like it was a racial issue to me,’ Reed told WSOV.

Reed and three other officers were on a work trip in Augusta, Georgia when they stopped to grab a quick bite.

The cops were in line – all wearing the same uniform – when the employee’s offered Reed’s colleagues complimentary meals.

Reed was the last to order, and another worker stepped in to check him out – but did not cover his meal’s cost.

In disbelief, Reed paid for his meal, adding he didn’t protest because the police cannot ‘ask for gratuities.’

Sgt Tracy Reed of the Clover Police Department was ‘humiliated’ at a Chick-fil-A after he was asked to pay for his meal, while his white colleagues received theirs for free

Reed was ‘almost in a rage’ after he was the only cop who was forced to pay for his food

Reed and three other sergeants were in Augusta, Georgia, on a work trip when they stopped to grab a quick bite

His fellow officers were taken aback by the incident and asked if he wanted them to intervene.

‘He [Reed] was like, ‘No, I don’t want you to; I don’t want you to cause a scene,’ colleague Thomas Barnette said.

‘But I could tell by the way he looked that, you know, he just looked down at his plate, and he looked really embarrassed and humiliated.’

Reed wrote a letter to the business demanding corrective action to their current policies so it complies with civil rights laws.

Chick-fil-A issued an apology that labeled the incident as a ‘mistake,’ adding the employee ‘doesn’t normally work behind the register’.

‘It said it was perceived that it was a racial incident, which I didn’t like, because it wasn’t perceived; it actually happened,’ his co-worker said.

In a statement to the local station the local Chick-fil-A said: ‘We regret the unintentional impact this incident had and sincerely apologize to our guest.

‘We were deeply concerned by this claim. It appears to have been an honest oversight across separate lines and registers.

‘We are strongly committed to supporting our community’s first responders.’