“Chicago police are looking for a black male in his mid-20s who resembles the popular rap artist Ice Cube”

This is a strange story: the Chicago police issued a community alert describing a man suspected in a series of sexual assaults as looking like Ice Cube. I guess if he does he does, but then a local TV station relayed the alert over the air and played an Ice Cube video to go along with it. Anyone not paying close attention could have easily come to the conclusion that the Cube was somehow involved. Then everyone apologized:

“We acknowledged the information should not have been on the alert,” Police spokesman David Bayless said Tuesday. “We took immediate corrective action. We apologize to Ice Cube for what was an honest mistake and came with no ill intent.”

The community alert was reissued without a reference to Ice Cube.

Filming had begun Monday on “Barbershop 2,” a sequel to the popular movie starring the Compton, Calif., native, said Matt Labov, a spokesman for Ice Cube.

Labov said cast members were watching as WBBM-TV broadcast the video.

“This is an unfortunate and hurtful situation for Ice Cube,” Labov said. “That his good name ever came up in association with the events currently taking place in Chicago’s Wicker Park area is damaging to Ice Cube as a father, husband and artist.”

Both the police department and the TV station have since apologized, Labov said. [AP]

I’m glad no one tried to turn this into any kind of racial incident – it’s just a stupidity incident.