Police say they mistook a black teenager for a burglar and pepper-sprayed him inside the home of his white foster parents.

Police in the suburban Raleigh town of Fuquay-Varina say they responded Monday to a call from a neighbor who saw DeShawn Currie walk through a door to the garage. Authorities say they used pepper spray when Currie "became profane, threatening and belligerent" and "refused to follow instructions" from officers.

Currie told WTVD (http:// abc11.tv/1qhh7qE) that he became angry when three officers showed up and noted that the 18-year-old was not included in family photos on a mantle.

Ricky and Stacy Tyler say they have fostered Currie for about a year, recently moved into the home, and don't know all their neighbors.