LOS ANGELES (AP) — Grammy-winning musician Wyclef Jean said he was handcuffed and “treated like a criminal” when Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies mistook him for a violent armed robber early Tuesday.
The former Fugees star posted a video on Twitter showing himself in handcuffs leaned over a patrol car in West Hollywood, decrying the way he was being treated. Hours after the incident, Los Angeles sheriff’s officials apologized for inconveniencing Jean but said he was lawfully stopped by deputies looking for a violent criminal whose victims described a similar vehicle and article of clothing.
“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 and before being told why,” Jean told The Associated Press. “In the process I said my name and told them they have wrong person. They proceeded to ignore me and I was treated like a criminal.”
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, sheriff’s officials said Jean was riding in a car that matched the description of the vehicle used in an armed robbery that occurred a few minutes before Jean was stopped.