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A Black man says he was beaten and tased by Dallas police in a case of mistaken identity.
According to Insider, Silvester Hayes, 27, filed a lawsuit last week, alleging that he was wrongly arrested in October 2021 by Dallas police officers, who misidentified him as Sylvester Hayes, a suspect in a domestic violence case.
According to the lawsuit, Hayes was on his way to get breakfast for his children when he was pulled over in front of a restaurant. An officer asked Hayes for his license, to which he complied, according to the suit.
The officer told Hayes, who had no prior arrests, that there was a warrant out for his arrest, the lawsuit states. Officers allegedly removed Hayes from his vehicle before kicking, punching, and tasing the 27-year-old.
Hayes alleges officers didn't run a check through the Dallas Police Department's database and "escalated their use of force" after noticing a gun in his vehicle, though it was registered.
According to the lawsuit, an officer eventually checked the department's database and realized they made a mistake.
"F**k, we got the wrong guy," one of the officers said, according to body camera footage cited in the lawsuit.
Hayes was still arrested on charges of resisting arrest and unlawful possession of a weapon. He was held in jail for days and lost his job as a security guard, according to the suit. Hayes also said he suffered long-lasting injuries, including a dislocated shoulder.
Over a year after his arrest, charges were dropped against Hayes.
The lawsuit names the City of Dallas and several officers from the Dallas Police Department. Hayes is seeking unspecified damages on allegations of excessive use of force and unlawful arrest.
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