Lawyers claimed that authorities sought warrants based on claims that disregarded video evidence.
A Georgia man who was arrested and jailed on kidnapping accusations after an incident in an Acworth, Georgia, Walmart is suing his accusers, the Acworth Police, in federal court for allegedly violating his civil rights.
Mahendra Patel and his attorneys filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Caroline Miller, the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, and the Acworth Police. Miller accused Patel of attempting to kidnap her toddler inside a Walmart located in the Atlanta suburb.
Attorney Solomon M. Radner said the lawsuit seeks accountability and damages from city officials and Miller.
“We want to hold the police and prosecutor accountable for completely destroying a man’s life for absolutely no reason, for destroying a man’s family for no reason,” Radner told 11 Alive News.
“A simple trip to Walmart to get a Tylenol turned into a nightmare,” Patel told Atlanta News First.
Soon after the encounter with Patel, the surveillance footage shows Miller backing the scooter into a display, causing one of her children to fall off. Another man stepped in to steady the second child, as Patel had moments earlier. However, unlike Patel, the second man faced no charges.
Patel said the surveillance video, which his lawyers said contradicts the police report, is why he is free today.
“That literally saved my life,” said Patel. “Imagine if there was no Walmart video…it was her words against my words, and I would never see daylight,” Patel told 11 Alive News.
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Source: Black Enterprise
