Woman wrongfully arrested at LAX, jailed for 13 days sues LAPD
By Web Staff
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AGOURA HILL, California (KCAL, KCBS) — The Los Angeles Police Department is facing a wrongful arrest lawsuit after an Agoura Hills woman was arrested and put in jail for nearly two weeks, despite telling authorities that they had the wrong person.
“This was an experience that no one should have to go through, especially a law abiding citizen,” said Bethan K. Farber, as she recounted what happened to her.
Surrounded by her attorneys and family, Farber talked about what she calls the traumatic and life-changing days when she was wrongfully arrested by the LAPD last April. She’d been at LAX, about to travel to Mexico, when she was stopped by officials with the Transportation Security Administration, who informed her that there was a warrant for her arrest in Texas.
“They handcuffed her to a chair for two plus hours until the authorities come and arrest her. What’s interesting is at the time Ms. Farber is booked, the police do nothing to confirm whether or not this Bethany Farber is that Bethany Farber,” said Rodney Diggs, one of Farber’s attorneys.
Fabre’s attorneys said the warrant from Texas was for a different Bethany Farber, not their client.
“This Bethany Farber, from our understanding, already has a criminal history,” said Diggs. ”
Her fingerprints are in the database. LAPD could have checked the fingerprints, her birthdate, social security number or even a photo. They did not of that.”
For her part, Farber said she told them several times that they had the wrong person.
“I asked them repeatedly to double check and they completely blew me off. They said, ‘No. Bethany Farber, we have you.’ With the conditions of being in jail, how I was treated, everything I endured through that time and everything that my family endured, there was a lot of distress in my family,” Farber said.
As her family was trying to show authorities this was a case of mistaken identity, Farber said her grandmother suffered a stress-induced stroke because of the arrest. When Farber finally got out of jail after two weeks, her grandmother passed away a couple of days later.
“I believe I would’ve had more time with her if this situation didn’t happen. This has caused me a lot of distress in my life, a lot of anxiety. It has set me back financially,” Farber said.
On Tuesday, her attorney filed a lawsuit against the LAPD. They want monetary compensation, accountability and reform in the justice system.
“This is a case of negligence at its highest level and also a violation of Ms. Farber’s rights,” Diggs said.
“There’s a lot of people out there who this is happening to that don’t have anyone advocating for them,” Farber said.
When asked to comment, officials with LAPD said they cannot talk about pending litigation.
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