Deputy arrests the wrong man in front of his kids
HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman says his deputy was at the man's house because someone else told them he was a wanted fugitive.
But Clarence Evans says the deputy wouldn't listen when he repeatedly told him he had the wrong man.
"My kids were out there watching. I don't want my son to have that memory of my dad being hauled off to jail and I didn't do anything wrong," Evans said.
We asked Houston Police Union President Joe Gamaldi to review the tape.
"That officer very much thought he had the right person and this person just didn't want to go to jail,” Gamaldi said. "This officer was not there by chance he got a call where a civilian said this individual standing in this lawn has a warrant out of Louisiana, so the officer doesn't have the option to ignore that he has to do his job.”
But Evans says Deputy Lindley didn't tell him that.
He says Lindley asked about his dog and then told him he knew his name was Quentin and he's a wanted man.
“Had he been up front and said he had a warrant for a guy named Quentin, it would have ended in three minutes. I would have showed him my I.D., showed him that I wasn't Quentin, like I say, show him my I.D. It wasn't going to matter, because he had it set in his mind I was Quentin,” Evans said.
Evans says the only similarities between him and the photo of Quentin is they are both black men with dreadlocks. But he says Quentin is at least 20 years older.
Evans says Lindley was shaking and all he could think about was last year’s fatal shooting of a couple during a botched drug warrant raid.
Another deputy shows up, who can clearly see Evans is not Quentin and a mistake has been made.
"I would like to see the officer apologize. I would also like to see the constable apologize,” Attorney U.A. Lewis says.
The constable told FOX 26 Evans was an “uncooperative, vulgar-mouth citizen” who shouldn't treat law enforcement that way.
Evans says he was afraid of being arrested for doing nothing but stand in his own front yard.