A Black man is suing the Miami Police Department, claiming five police officers arrested him for stealing his own car, according to Miami New Times.
Samuel Scott Jr. called the authorities on June 1, 2018, to report that someone took his 2006 black Jeep, reporters say. Scott, 44, says he was stopping by a family member's home in Buena Vista when he noticed someone took his vehicle.
He called 911, but when police arrived, they allegedly handcuffed Scott instead of taking his statement about his stolen Jeep. Officers claim Scott fit the description of the person believed to have taken his vehicle: a bald, heavyset Black male wearing a white tank top.
Bodycam footage caught the entire encounter, which shows a confused Scott trying to tell the cops that he wasn't the suspect.
"I'm telling you guys, you got the wrong guy," Scott begins. "I can confirm where I was, and I can even confirm my activities." He even says he's never been arrested.
Even when Scott told them that he was the one who dialed 911, they didn't believe him. One officer even says, "The description of the guy who took off in your car is just like yours."
His pleas seemingly fell on deaf ears as he was jailed on charges of leaving the scene of an accident, false reporting of a crime, failure to carry a concealed-weapon license, and possession of marijuana, according to reporters. The charges were eventually dropped, but Scott is now seeking $500,000 in damages from the police department.
"Reported it to the cops because he believed that the cops were actually going to assist him and then it turns out that they racially profiled him," Faudlin Pierre, Scott's lawyer, told the New Times.
The news outlet also reached out to the Miami Police Department for comment, but it hasn't been returned as of Friday afternoon (November 19). An arrest also hasn't been made for Scott's stolen Jeep, they added.
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