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Recording artist Wyclef Jean was put in handcuffs by Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies early Tuesday near his recording studio after authorities said he was mistaken for an armed robbery suspect.
Jordan Strauss / AP Photo
While he was in handcuffs, Jean can be heard telling officers that he planned to sue the Los Angeles Police Department for the way they were treating him.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in West Hollywood, which handled the case, told BuzzFeed News that Jean and the vehicle matched the description of a suspect who had been involved in an armed robbery earlier that night.
“All the way down to the detail of being in the front seat and wearing the red bandana,” the spokesperson said.
The Haitian flag has the colors red, blue, and white.
“While he was being detained, officers communicated with other deputies that were still contacting that victim,” the spokesperson said.
After about 10 minutes, Jean was released. Shortly after, the perpetrator was found four blocks away from where officers put Jean in handcuffs.
“I am sure no father wants his sons or daughters to see him in Handcuffs [sic] especially if he is innocent,” Jean said on Twitter. “As some one [sic] who has law enforcers in my family, I was appalled by this behavior of the LAPD.”
Melanie A. Bonvicino, a spokeswoman for Jean, said in a statement that the music artist was subjected to “police brutality, racial profiling, police bias, and the ongoing discriminatory practices of law enforcement officials.”
Jean is requesting a formal investigation into racial profiling by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, and the LA County Sheriff's Department. He is also calling on the ACLU and Black Lives Matter “to join him in defense of civil liberties and racial bias,” Bonvicino said.
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