This happened to me Saturday. It was my first time ever interacting with police in my life so I don't know if I can take legal action or not but I feel violated as hell:
>walking down street of a large city downtown at about 1 a.m. after a night of bar hopping, no one else around
>cop car come screeching up to the sidewalk and 2 cops jump out, draw on us and start screaming the HANDS LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS STOP RESISTING shit as we stand there wondering wtf is going on
>they separate us and like 8 more cars come rolling up
>one tells me UP AGAINST THE WALL and like 10 of them slam me into a store window and I get cuffed and also hit in the back of the knee with a nightstick (still cannot figure out wtf that was all about) but it didn't really hurt
>get searched and they keep asking me questions trying to trip me up
>I ask several times what is going on and the answers I got were "don't worry about it," "shut the fuck up," and "something happened"
>get a call saying the suspect is wearing shorts which I was not
>uncuff me and he says "there was a robbery and you perfectly match the description, white male 6'2 to 6'5, average build, wearing a red t shirt (cause I was certainly the only one in a city of several million who matched that)
>guys are still being assholes and have this attitude that I should be grateful they're letting me on my way, no apologies
>we walk off and are like "uhh wtf just happened"
I didn't get any names or badge numbers, but I'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult. Where do I stand legally? That was some total fucking bullshit and there's no way everything they did to me was by the book. My friend got it way easier, granted he wasn't the suspect but he said they kept trying to trip him also trying to get him to incriminate me.
Before anyone asks, I'm white, clean shaven normal looking guy who has a baby face. Maybe I'm flattering myself but I don't think I look like much of a hardened criminal.
tl;dr just read it you're not doing anything else
As a legalbro in Europe I'm pretty sure cops are allowed to do that. After all, you were a suspect.
Besides that, judges dont like making cops their job harder. So they wont blame them for anything. Plus you'd always lose if its their word against yours.
Look on the bright side - if you were black, you'd be dead or have broken bones at least.
>>17253003
I assume this is in America? What they did is more than likely legal. It falls under probable cause.
Depends on how closely you matched the suspect's description as well as how close you were, geographically, to the location of the crime, they were well within their right to do what they did.
You're just butthurt. Leave it.
>>17253003
>Maybe I'm flattering myself but I don't think I look like much of a hardened criminal.
See, that's a retarded comment. Look at photos of school shooters, that guy on social media who raped that one girl, the guy who shot up the club in Miami a couple days ago, etc.
Don't know how you define "hardened criminal." None of those guys I mentioned are covered in scars and sporting teardrop tattoos.
>>17253026
>>17253013
I was very close and did match the description, but it was so vague it seems pretty flimsy probably cause.
I don't blame them for wanting to talk to me but the way they went about it was deplorable.
>>17253019
If I was black you'd have heard this on CNN before you did from me.
>>17253039
Yes, but again only because you would have been shot. They don't show a story about ever cop hassling people regardless of color, it happens all the fucking time. You got off easy; you can't do anything so chill and know it could have been worse. For example imagine being in that situation with every cop being a race that wants to kill you.
Call the ACLU and tel—
>white
Kek, nevermind.
>>17253039
>but the way they went about it was deplorable.
No, it wasn't. They're not customer service, they're police officers potentially apprehending an armed criminal. The crime may not have been a dine-and-dash, you know. It may have been armed robbery or a shooting. They have to assume you're the correct suspect, get in quickly and neutralize you ASAP before you can pose any danger to them or the public. It's what they're trained to do. It would be "deplorable" if they spat on you, called you a fag and then took your wallet after they let you loose. What they did was by the book.
How should it have gone down? A cop approaches you with a smile, "'Scuse me, bruh? Are you the fella who shot the guy a couple blocks down? Don't run, just drop the gun so we can take you in, K?"
You're just butthurt.
Sort of depends on what state your in, but no, they didn't do anything illegal - a cop is allowed to detain and search you if they believe they have reasonable cause, which is that you looked like someone who committed a crime.
