Black teen sues over arrest after buying $350 designer belt

[Peikko 1,575]

Officers hauled Christian to the local precinct, where he showed police his identification, as well as his debit card and the receipt for the belt, the lawsuit says. Police still believed Christian's identification was fake, and eventually called his bank, which verified it was his, according to the complaint. Christian, who has no prior arrests, was released. He told NBC 4 New York that questions were racing through his mind while he went through the painful experience of being handcuffed and taken to a cell.

Hauled? Really? Well, maybe that's a US cop thing but asking to go down to the police station to answer a few questions is not an arrest and it's not illigitmate.

Oh, and just so you know, calling the bank isn't a sure fire way of making sure you are the legitimate card holder. CC fraud is big business. One word of advice, avoid Ameriacn Express, they are the most used cc cards in fraudulant transactions. That my hint of the day

[decocker 7,198]

i know if i'm out shopping and i get handcuffed and put in the back of a cop car to 'answer a few questions' regarding a sale i just provided my id/cc/and receipt for - i'm going to be a bit angry. i would never expect such a thing to happen.

[Peikko 1,575]

i know if i'm out shopping and i get handcuffed and put in the back of a cop car to 'answer a few questions' regarding a sale i just provided my id/cc/and receipt for - i'm going to be a bit angry. i would never expect such a thing to happen.

Sure, that's understandable, but cc fraud is a huge problem and there has to be more to a suspicion of it than yhou think the guy is too young and too black to be able to afford the purchase. The police and the store both thought that the ID he produced was fake, they have to have had some reason for that suspcicion. Despite what is being said, the police are not going to go through all this just to harrass a black kid. Sorry it makes no sense to do that.

[Eric-Pris 1,606]

Barney's is full of sh*t. Of course they called the cops or alerted them if they were already there. Undercover cops don't just magically appear out of thin air.

With the money he settles with the city and Barmey's, he'll be able to buy 100 of those belts.

[decocker 7,198]

Sure, that's understandable, but cc fraud is a huge problem and there has to be more to a suspicion of it than yhou think the guy is too young and too black to be able to afford the purchase. The police and the store both thought that the ID he produced was fake, they have to have had some reason for that suspcicion. Despite what is being said, the police are not going to go through all this just to harrass a black kid. Sorry it makes no sense to do that.

i dunno..nypd is in a special league all of their own.

[Peikko 1,575]

i dunno..nypd is in a special league all of their own.

Put it this way, at worst the police thought they had caught someone committing a fraud and part of their evidence for suspecting that a crime took place was the age and ethnicity of the alleged perpetrator. What this is not is the police deciding to harrass a black kid for buying a belt they thought he should't be able to afford.. Two sides, same coin, one make sense, the other does not.

Edited October 23, 2013 by The Truth™

[Darnell 8,478]

nah.

It's NYPD.

They be in their own league of combined stupidity, racism, and infamy.

A singular 'group' - tis distasteful to think other PDs across the USA operate in the exact same fashion.

Edited October 23, 2013 by Darnell

[Peikko 1,575]

nah.

It's NYPD.

They be in their own league of combined stupidity, racism, and infamy.

A singular 'group' - tis distasteful to think other PDs across the USA operate in the exact same fashion.

You mean they are a great waste of the tax payer dollar? Good grief!

[Darnell 8,478]

uhm, on many fronts, yes. There ARE some 'great things' accomplished by NYPD, but 'this' isn't one of them.

[Peikko 1,575]

"This" being failing to foil a major cc fraud ring? I don't blame them for trying. Honestly, part of my job is to combat potential cc fraud and it is a nightmare trying to catch it.

Edited October 23, 2013 by The Truth™

[JensJrny2Ray 367]

If there was suspicion of fraud, really, why would the cops even care? The cops wouldn't care unless the store alerted them. The credit card company would call the credit card holder (in this case, the young man) to verify that he, indeed, made the purchase - end of discussion! Also, if the store suspected anything fishy - they can ask for ID and if the signature matches and all that - it's good to go! They wouldn't be held liable for anything. The credit card company would call the credit card holder (in this case, the young man) to verify that he, indeed, made the purchase - end of discussion! I too, have dealt with a lot of credit card fraud (working retail).

Edited October 23, 2013 by JensJrny2Ray

[Sousuke 1,214]

"This" being failing to foil a major cc fraud ring? I don't blame them for trying. Honestly, part of my job is to combat potential cc fraud and it is a nightmare trying to catch it.

I think it depends on how Barney's alerted the police. I see what you are saying - it may have been some sort of automatic alert related to the Card or the ID. But given the reputation of the NYPD, I wouldn't rule out race yet.

[Danno 1,228]

I admire the kids for saving up for a goal, however, due to his age and the cost of the item, what we have is classic SUSPICIOUS activity..... because it is so

out of the ordinary.

suspicious |səˈspi sh əs|adjectivehaving or showing a cautious distrust of someone or something : he wassuspicious of her motives | she gave him a suspicious look.• causing one to have the idea or impression that something or someone is of questionable, dishonest, or dangerous character or condition : they are not treating the fire as suspicious.• having the belief or impression that someone is involved in an illegal or dishonest activity : police were called when staff became suspicious.

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when police are aware of suspicious activity or circumstances they are obligated to investigate.

<<< he was approached by police about a block away, and asked "how a young black man such as himself could afford to purchase such an expensive belt," according to a lawsuit filed >>>

I suspect that this claim is constructed to to build the legal case. It is possible it is true, but we have no proof.

[Sousuke 1,214]

I admire the kids for saving up for a goal, however, due to his age and the cost of the item, what we have is classic SUSPICIOUS activity..... because it is so

out of the ordinary.

suspicious |səˈspi sh əs|adjectivehaving or showing a cautious distrust of someone or something : he wassuspicious of her motives | she gave him a suspicious look.• causing one to have the idea or impression that something or someone is of questionable, dishonest, or dangerous character or condition : they are not treating the fire as suspicious.• having the belief or impression that someone is involved in an illegal or dishonest activity : police were called when staff became suspicious.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

when police are aware of suspicious activity or circumstances they are obligated to investigate.

<<< he was approached by police about a block away, and asked "how a young black man such as himself could afford to purchase such an expensive belt," according to a lawsuit filed >>>

I suspect that this claim is constructed to to build the legal case. It is possible it is true, but we have no proof.

Unless the police had probable cause...they will lose the lawsuit.

[Peikko 1,575]

If there was suspicion of fraud, really, why would the cops even care? The cops wouldn't care unless the store alerted them. The credit card company would call the credit card holder (in this case, the young man) to verify that he, indeed, made the purchase - end of discussion! Also, if the store suspected anything fishy - they can ask for ID and if the signature matches and all that - it's good to go! They wouldn't be held liable for anything. The credit card company would call the credit card holder (in this case, the young man) to verify that he, indeed, made the purchase - end of discussion! I too, have dealt with a lot of credit card fraud (working retail).

t is odd that the police would go to such a call unless they suspected something major going down. It seems so petty to respond to a fraud call and just harass a teenager without any prospect of an arrest . Why bother?