On June 1, 2018, Samuel Scott Jr.'s 2006 black Jeep Compass was stolen from outside his aunt's house in Buena Vista.
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Three years later, Scott is suing the City of Miami and the five officers — Jonathan Guzman, Michael Bloom, Brandon Williams, Miguel Hernandez, and Randy Carriel — alleging that they unlawfully searched, falsely imprisoned, and maliciously prosecuted him on that day in June of 2018.
Scott's attorney, Faudlin Pierre, tells
New Times his client is seeking $500,000 in damages.
"He reported to the cops because he believed that the cops were actually going to assist him," Pierre says. "And then it turns out that they racially profiled him."
It started around 5:40 p.m. when Scott left his aunt's house after a quick visit and noticed his car had seemingly vanished.
According to Scott's arrest report, MPD officer Jonathan Guzman spotted the Jeep Compass driving 20 miles per hour over the speed limit a few miles away. Guzman attempted to stop the vehicle when it collided with another vehicle. The driver, who fled on foot, was described as a "Black male, bald, about 6'2" and heavy set, with a white tank top."
When officers arrived at Scott's aunt's house two miles away, they began interrogating him "as if he had stolen his own vehicle," according to the lawsuit. As Scott filled out a stolen-vehicle affidavit, an officer warned him that he would be arrested if he made a false report.
According to the complaint, one officer asked Scott if his car was repossessed. Another later pulled out a Taser, seemingly ready to use it.
Though Scott was wearing a black shirt over a white undershirt — not a white tank — and is four inches shorter than the suspect's description, the arrest report states that "the person reporting the stolen vehicle matched the description of the offender that fled the scene of the hit and run. Upon arrival the complainant was wearing the same clothing description."
"Yeah, that’s him," an officer says on the body-worn camera footage. "He’s sweating, he has a black shirt on top of the tank top shirt."
Scott was arrested at 6:05 p.m., booked, and transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Scott tried to tell officers they were arresting the wrong man and that he'd never been jailed before, the lawsuit states, but they "did not believe Scott, a black man, was never arrested."
According to the arrest report, officers found four plastic baggies in Scott's car that had "green spots with suspected marijuana."
Pierre notes that Scott has a concealed-weapon permit and carried a gun in his vehicle at the time of the incident. He still can't figure out where the marijuana charge came from.
"That was just adding to the fantasy we call this arrest," Pierre says.
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To Pierre's knowledge, no one else has been arrested for stealing Scott's car. The City of Miami didn't respond to emailed questions from
New Times asking whether anyone else was charged in connection with the incident.
After the incident, Scott
filed a complaint accusing Ofc. Jonathan Guzman of taking his cellphone, military ID, and wallet. Miami’s Civilian Investigative Panel (CIP) sustained the allegation, saying Guzman exercised "negligence of duty" and was responsible for Scott’s property as the primary arresting officer.
Guzman, who
shut off his body-worn camera at least three times during the incident, was one of three officers wearing cameras at the time of Scott's arrest. All five officers involved are still on the force, according to an MPD roster obtained by
New Times.
While Pierre says it would be nice for Scott to receive an apology from the officers, he knows that likely won't happen. They're simply seeking compensation.
"Yes, we want justice, but in the form of him being compensated," Pierre says. "That's the only way our legal system
actually provides any remedies."
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