A black Hollywood producer says he was wrongly arrested by Beverly Hills police after apparently matching the description of a bank robber.
Charles Belk was leaving a restaurant Friday night when he was arrested, the Los Angeles Times reports. Police says he "matched the clothing and physical characteristics" of an African American man who allegedly robbed a nearby Citibank.
Belk wrote on his Facebook page that he was "wrongly arrested, locked up, denied a phone call, denied explanation of charges against me, denied ever being read my rights, denied being able to speak to my lawyer for a lengthy time, and denied being told that my car had been impounded." He was in jail for about six hours, and was let go after the police looked at evidence, including security camera footage. The police would not elaborate on how this video cleared Belk's name.
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The Beverly Hills Police Department calls the incident "extremely unfortunate," but stands by its actions. The department expects more information on the case and Belk's accusations to come out on Thursday.
As for Belk, he's hoping this incident helps make positive change. "I have always stayed as far away from being on the wrong side of the law as much as possible," he wrote. "So please, be careful. If something like this can happen to me, it can certainly happen to anyone! Time has come for a change in the way our law enforcement officers 'serve and protect' us."
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