A Black Guy In The United States Was Mistaken For An Older White Suspect, According To A Lawsuit.

According to a lawsuit, a black man in Nevada spent six days in jail because police mistaken him for a white suspect twice his age with the same name.

Shane Lee Brown, 25, was arrested in January 2020 after failing to provide his driver's license during a traffic stop. A warrant was issued in his name, according to Las Vegas police.

According to the lawsuit, the warrant was issued for Shane Neal Brown, a middle-aged white guy with a beard.

The younger man, who has not been charged with a crime, is now suing for damages.

According to a representative for the city of Henderson, the younger man was properly held for driving with a suspended license. In the court case, the city made no mention of the accusation of mistaken identity.

Officers mistook Mr Brown for Shane Neal Brown, a white male with brown hair, blue eyes, and a beard, according to the lawsuit. According to US media, he was initially imprisoned for a felony in 1994, before the younger Mr Brown was even born.

The lawsuit against the Las Vegas and Henderson police agencies claims that Shane Lee Brown is about 4in shorter than the elder guy.

Shane Lee Brown "repeatedly explained to many unknown Henderson police officers and supervisors that he was not the 49-year-old white 'Shane Brown' who was the subject of the felony warrant" during his wrongful detention, according to the lawsuit.

It claims that by comparing his booking photo to the one on file for the older white male, officials failed to exercise "due diligence."

After his lawyer had a court examine the two images, Shane Lee Brown was released over a week after his arrest.

He is now demanding punitive damages of $500,000 (£370,000).

Shane Neal Brown was captured in San Bernardino County, California, eight days after his parole, according to Las Vegas police.

Later in January, he appeared in court and accepted a plea bargain. It's unclear if he was already in custody when the younger man was apprehended.

The younger man was "properly arrested," according to a spokesman for the city of Henderson, for driving with a suspended license, contempt of court, and failing to pay a fee to the city.

According to spokeswoman Kathleen Richards, "Mr Brown confirmed to the arresting officers that he knew his driver license was suspended and that he had traffic warrants in Henderson."

"In this action, the plaintiff has not given all of the facts and circumstances surrounding his lawful and legitimate arrest by Henderson Police, which will be addressed in greater detail in the City Attorney's answer."