The filmmaker behind a new movie about shoplifters shares the details of his disturbing run-in.

I Love Boosters director Boots Riley recalls ‘traumatic’ childhood police encounter after petty theft

The filmmaker behind a new movie about shoplifters shares the details of his disturbing run-in.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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May 22, 2026 5:43 p.m. ET

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Boots Riley on May 18 in New York. Credit:

Raymond Hall/GC Images

- Boots Riley is reflecting on a troubling run-in with police.

- The *I Love Boosters* writer-director stole sunglasses as a teen.

- The movie's star, LaKeith Stanfield, couldn't believe the "really weird" aftermath of the incident.

***Content warning: The following video discusses themes of sexual assault.***

*I Love Boosters* writer-director Boots Riley is opening up about his own "traumatic" shoplifting experience.

Speaking to ** alongside *Boosters *star LaKeith Stanfield, Riley reflected on an incident as a teen when he and his friends decided to execute a low-key heist in Pasadena.

"When I was in junior high, everybody was like, 'We're gonna steal sunglasses,'" he shared. "We run off across the bridge going to the parking lot, and security is way back there, and they're like, 'Stop.' And I was like, 'F---.' [*Laughs*.] So I stopped. Everybody else kept running."

Keke Palmer, Taylour Paige, and Naomi Ackie in 'I Love Boosters'.

Courtesy of NEON

Stanfield complimented his director for being the "most obedient criminal ever" and doing "the right thing," but then Riley revealed the troubling aftermath of his surrender.

"The cops came, and their version of 'scared straight' was to sit there for 10 minutes and describe, in detail, body parts and all, me getting raped," Riley said. "So it was a very traumatic thing, with me crying. And [the officers] were getting very hyped."

Stanfield couldn't believe it, calling that behavior "really weird," and adding, "We gotta go find them."

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It's been eight years since Riley released his buzzy debut feature, *Sorry to Bother You*, after transitioning from a successful music career. He is finally returning to the big screen with *I Love Boosters*, a surreal crime comedy about a group of stylish women who begin boosting clothes as payback against a fashion queen. Stanfield, Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Eiza González, and Demi Moore star in the film.

Watch the interview with Riley and Stanfield above.

*I Love Boosters* is now playing in theaters.

***If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.***

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Source: “EW Crime”