Video After The Jump
Wyclef Jean is heated at the L.A. County Sheriff's Department following an incident Tuesday, March 21, when he was temporarily handcuffed.
The former member of The Fugees and two female passengers, one of them is his manager, were leaving the studio when they were pulled over at 1:30 a.m. in West Hollywood.
According to TMZ, the cops said the singer's vehicle and his red bandana fit the description of an armed robbery suspect.
LAPD another case of mistaken identity. Black man with red bandana robbed a gas station as I was in the studio working but im in handcuffs? pic.twitter.com/vjRfJUkooA
— Wyclef Jean (@wyclef) March 21, 2017
One of the female passengers began to film once Wyclef was cuffed.
"I'm in L.A. right now coming from the studio with T-Baby. And y'all see the police have handcuffs on me," 'Clef says. "They just took off my Haitian bandana. The LAPD have me in cuffs for absolutely nothing."
Wyclef was eventually allowed to leave. The person police were looking for was apprehended soon after the stop.
The singer later took to his Twitter account to detail what happened.
"I was asked by the police to Put my hands up. Then I was told do not move. I was instantly hand cuffed before being asked to identify myself. Nor was I told why I was being cuffed. In the process I said my name and told them they have wrong person," he wrote. "They proceeded to ignore me and I was treated like a criminal until other police showed up and pointed out they had wrong person. I am sure no father wants his sons or daughters to see him in Handcuffs especially if he is innocent. As some one who has law enforcers in my family, I was appalled by this behavior of the LAPD."
The Sheriff's Department told TMZ that the stop was "lawful" and "reasonable" because there was an armed criminal on the loose and his description closely matched Wyclef.
As for why Wyclef was handcuffed, the Sheriff's claim he failed to follow commands, including not to put his hand near his waistband.
The department says they are "apologetic for any inconvenience this process caused Mr. Jean."
Wyclef's attorney wants LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, LAPD chief Charlie Beck and The LASD to open a formal investigation into racial profiling.
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