Mistaken identity leads to 2 weeks in jail for the wrong Bethany Farber, lawsuit against LAPD
LOS ANGELES - A Southern Caifornia woman has sued the Los Angeles Police Department after she claims a case of mistaken identity left her in jail for nearly two weeks.
Bethany K. Farber was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on April 16, 2021. According to Farber's representatives, upon arrival at the airport, she was detained by TSA and told that there was a warrant out for her arrest in Texas. Farber allegedly told police that she had no history of trouble with the law, nor had she ever been to Texas.
A lawsuit was filed against the LAPD and the LAX Police Tuesday, attorneys announced at a press conference Tuesday.
"At the time miss Farber is booked, the police do nothing to confirm whether or not this Bethany Farber is that Bethany Farber," attorney Rodney Diggs said, referring to the woman for whom the warrant was issued. "LAPD could have checked the fingerprints, her birth date, social security number, photo. They did none of that," he continued.
Farber was arrested and spent 13 days in Lynwood Women's Jail and was released on April 28, 2021, jail records show.
"This is an experience that no one should go to, especially a law-abiding citizen," Farber said at a press conference Tuesday. "There was a lot of distress in my family. They were fighting for me every single day."
SUGGESTED: Gay former LAPD employee sues city for discrimination
Farber claims that the incident has led to her suffering from anxiety, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and even the death of her grandmother. According to Farber's attorneys, her grandmother suffered a stress-induced stroke when she learned that "her only granddaughter" had been arrested. Farber said she was able to see her grandma at the hospital days before her grandmother died.
I can't explain to you the feeling of that entire situation, and then being released and having [my mom] inform me in the morning that my grandmother was in the hospital," she said. "I believe that I would have had more time with her if this situation didn't happen."
According to one of Farber's attorneys, James Bryant, the LAPD was told by the state of Texas that the Bethany Farber in custody was not the one for whom the warrant was issued three days before she was released from custody, calling them "three days she could have spent with her grandmother.
Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.
When asked for comment, the LAPD told FOX 11 they don’t comment on pending litigation.
Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.