Wyclef Jean was detained by the Los Angeles county sheriff’s department after being wrongly identified as a suspect and has vowed to sue after the incident, which saw him put in handcuffs.
The singer, who was driving round North Hollywood in the early hours of Tuesday morning, was detained by sheriffs who said he matched the description of a person wanted in connection to an assault and robbery at a gas station in the city.
Jean posted a short video of his interaction with the police, during which he said he was a recording artist and that he would sue the department because of their actions.
He mistakenly blamed the LAPD after the incident and wrote on Twitter: “LAPD another case of mistaken identity. Black man with red bandana robbed a gas station as I was in the studio working but I’m in handcuffs?”
“I was asked by the police to put my hands up. Then I was told do not move. I was instantly hand cuffed before being asked to identify myself. Nor was I told why I was being cuffed. In the process I said my name and told them they have wrong person,” he added.
The Los Angeles county sheriff’s department told the Daily News that the singer matched the description of a suspect, was driving a similar car and wore a bandana that was the same color as the one worn by the suspect.
After speaking to the officers and explaining who he was, Jean claims he was ignored. “They proceeded to ignore me and I was treated like a criminal until other police showed up and pointed out they had wrong person,” he wrote on Twitter.
“As someone who has law enforcers in my family, I was appalled by this behavior of the [police].”
On Tuesday afternoon the sheriff’s department released an apology to the singer. “It is unfortunate that Mr Jean was detained for six minutes during this investigation, as he had no involvement whatsoever in this violent crime,” it read.
The statement also said that the department was “apologetic for any inconvenience,” and explained that because of Jean’s “furtive movements and demeanor” after being approached by officers, he was handcuffed.
