GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING HIP-HOP ARTIST WYCLEF JEAN WAS
MISTAKENLY DETAINED AS A ROBBERY
SUSPECT IN LOS ANGELES.
HE WAS HANDCUFFED FOR ABOUT SIX MINUTES
AND WAS UPSET AS A RESULT.
HIS CAR DID MATCH THE DESCRIPTION OF
THE SUSPECT'S CAR WHICH IS WHY
AUTHORITIES DETAINED HIM.
OF COURSE THEY MADE A HUGE MISTAKE
AND SO THE SHERIFF DEPARTMENT
HAS RELEASED AN APOLOGY STATEMENT.
THEY ESSENTIALLY SAY
THAT THEY HAVE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY
INCONVENIENCE.
WYCLEF JOHN DID
TWEET AND ALSO POSTED ON
INSTAGRAM.
HERE IS A VIDEO FROM HIS INSTAGRAM PAGE SHOWING WHAT
HAPPENED.
IN THIS VIDEO YOU CAN SEE HE THREATENS TO SUE THE COPS.
>> I WAS RECORDING.
DID YOU GIVE THEM THE ADDRESS TO THE STUDIO?
JUST SO YOU KNOW I AM GOING TO
SUE THE LAPD.
YOU PUT THE CUFFS ON ME.
>>I AM A LITTLE SPLIT ON THE STORY.
BY THE WAY I LIKE HOW THE COPS SAY HE WAS DETAINED FOR SIX
MINUTES.
>>BEFORE YOU EXPLAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF I TOLD YOU GUYS WHY COPS
WERE LOOKING FOR A SUSPECT.
THERE WAS APPARENTLY A VIOLENT
ROBBERY IN WEST HOLLYWOOD.
I HAVE TO SAY POLICE OFFICERS IN
WEST HOLLYWOOD ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY AWESOME.
THAT IS NOT JUST
ME SAYING IT AS A WHITE GIRL
LIVING IN WEST HOLLYWOOD.
I JUST KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE AND HOW
THEY REACT TO MEMBERS OF THE
COMMUNITY.
HIS CAR MATCHED THE
DESCRIPTION OF THE SUSPECT'S CAR.
>> THAT IS WHAT THE COPS SAY AND I AM A TINY BIT SURPRISED BY
THEM.
BECAUSE WYCLEF JEAN MUST BE DRIVING A PRETTY NICE CAR.
ARE ROBBERY SUSPECTS NOW DRIVING
BENTLEYS?
IT IS JUST WEIRD.
WHAT THEY DON'T SAY IS THE SUSPECT
WAS BLACK AND THE SUSPECT KIND OF LOOKED LIKE HIM.
WITHOUT THE
CONTEXT OF THE GROSS DISCRIMINATION THAT
AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE BEEN
FACING IN THIS COUNTRY, I WOULD SAY THIS STORY IS NOT THAT BIG
A DEAL.
BUT THERE IS THAT CONTEXT, SO I AM NOT SAYING IT IS NOT A BIG
DEAL BECAUSE CONTEXT IS IMPORTANT?
>>HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED, THEY DETAINED HIM FOR ABOUT SIX
MINUTES AND THEY DIDN'T LET HIM
GO UNTIL OTHER COPS SHOWED UP AND CLEARED HIM OF ANY
WRONGDOING.
I AM WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED.
ANOTHER COP SHOW UP
AND SAY THAT IS WYCLEF JEAN.
>>OF COURSE.
>>I FEEL LIKE IF HE DIDN'T HAVE A PUBLIC FOLLOWING THEN THE
SITUATION MIGHT'VE ENDED DIFFERENTLY.
>> YES.
LET ME JUST EXPLAIN THIS.
IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE
THAT HE DID MATCH THE
DESCRIPTION NOT JUST BECAUSE HE WAS BLACK, AND THEN HE DIDN'T
LISTEN TO ALL THE ORDERS SO THEY WERE LIKE WEIGHT, SINCE YOU ARE
NOT LISTENING TO ORDERS WE HAVE TO HANDCUFF YOU FOR A BRIEF
PERIOD OF TIME.
AND IN OTHER PEOPLE COME IN AND SAY THAT IS
NOT HIM, AND THEY ARE DONE WITH IT.
YEAH BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT
YOU WERE.
IT MIGHT BE THAT THEY THOUGHT HE WAS BECAUSE HE HAS
BLACK DOT AGAIN CONTEXT MATTERS.
OREGON IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE HE
LOOKS LIKE THE GUY.
THERE IS A TINGE HERE OF A CELEBRITY SAYING
HOW DARE YOU DO IT TO ME.
MAYBE
I AM MISREADING IT?
BUT I FEEL LIKE THIS STUFF HAPPENS TO PEOPLE ALL THE TIME.
>>IT DOES.
AND IT SUCKS.
HONESTLY IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS
I DON'T KNOW WHAT COPS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO.
IF THE PERSON
DOES SEEM TO MATCH THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SUSPECT
WHETHER IT IS THEIR CAR OR THEIR
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.
DO THE COPS JUST SAY WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE
SO WE WILL LET HIM GO?
NO, THEY
HAVE TO STOP HIM.
I GET THAT.
ALSO I DID THINK ABOUT WHAT IT
MUST FEEL LIKE TO BE A CELEBRITY AND NOT BE RECOGNIZED BY PEOPLE.
>>SO DID I?
>>I WONDER IF THAT GOT UNDER HIS SKIN AS WELL.
>>IT MIGHT HAVE.
ALI G USED TO DO THIS SKIT AND HE WOULD GET
NEWT
GINGRICH, AND GET HIM TO SPELL HIS NAME AND HE WOULD KEEP
MISSPELLING IT.
IT WOULD GET UNDER HIS SKIN SO MUCH BECAUSE
THAT IS HIS EGO.
THAT IS THE BRILLIANT WAY HE UNDERMINED THAT
AND HIGHLIGHTED IT.
IN THIS CASE COPS COME TO ME AND SAY WE ARE
GOING TO DETAIN YOU FOR A SECOND
BECAUSE HE MATCH THE SUSPECT.
IF THEY WERE REASONABLE, IF, I
WOULD SAY GO AHEAD AND RUN IT
BECAUSE I AM NOT THE SUSPECT.
NOW THEY DETAIN YOU FOR SIX
HOURS OR SIX DAYS AND THERE IS
SOME SORT OF INJUSTICE ñ
>>THAT IS WHEN YOU SAY SOMEONE PLEASE CALL 911.
>> YEAH, BUT IF THEY DETAINED HIM FOR SIX MINUTES I DON'T
THINK IT IS THE END OF THE
WORLD.
ON THE OTHER HAND WYCLEF SAYS THIS.
HIS KIDS ARE IN THE
CAR AND HIS KIDS ARE WATCHING, IT'S LIKE JOHNNY COCHRAN SAYS
THEY ARE STILL GOING TO HANDCUFF
YOU IN FRONT OF YOUR KIDS.
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS HERE.
THE QUESTION IS DID THE COPS IN
THAT PERIOD OF TIME ACT REASONABLY OR NOT?
IT IS HARD
FOR US TO KNOW.
THAT IS THE REALITY.