Shane Lee Brown, left, served six days in jail after police departments in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, mistook him for an elderly white man who had committed a felony and had the same name.
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Shane Lee Brown, left, served six days in jail after police departments in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, mistook him for an elderly white man who had committed a felony and had the same name.
AP
Shane Lee Brown is suing the police departments in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, and related officers after they jailed him for six days, instead of a taller, similarly named white man who was nearly twice as tall. two years old and convicted of a felony.
The lawsuit alleges that Shane Lee Brown, a 23-year-old Black man, was driving home on January 8, 2020, when he was pulled over by police officer Henderson. He did not have a driver’s license but provided his name, Social Security number, and Social Security card.
The lawsuit alleges that during a file check, Henderson Police Department officers “confused” Shane Lee Brown with Shane Neal Brown, a 49-year-old man who is four inches taller than Shane Lee Brown, has a beard and White skin.
Shane Neal Brown was first convicted of a felony in 1994, and A warrant for his arrest was issued in 2019 to own a gun.
Shane Lee Brown remained in custody for six days, despite repeatedly telling officials he was not the Shane Brown they were looking for and was released on January 14, 2020.
“If any LVMPD or any corrections officer performs any due diligence… they will readily determine that Shane Lee Brown has been misidentified as the subject of a subpoena,” the lawsuit said. speak.
Shane Lee Brown is suing for negligence, emotional distress, false imprisonment, and civil rights violations, and is seeking $500,000 in damages.
In response to the lawsuit, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said it did not comment on pending litigation.
A version of this story originally appeared inside Morning version live blogs.
