A woman from Southern California is suing the Los Angeles Police Department after a case of mistaken identity landed her in jail for nearly two weeks, she claims.
Bethany K. Farber, 30, was arrested on April 16, 2021, at Los Angeles International Airport. Shortly after arriving at the airport, she was detained by TSA who told her there was an arrest warrant for her in Texas, lawyers for Farber stated.
Farber Explained That It Must Be a Case of Mistaken Identity as She Had a Clean Record and Had Never Traveled to Texas.
Following her arrest, Farber claims she explained to police that she had never hade any trouble with the law and had a clean record. She also explained to authorities that she had never been to Texas. Despite her objections, authorities booked her anyway.
On Tuesday, attorneys for Farber announced that they filed lawsuits against the LAPD and LAX police for their alleged involvement with the incident.
“At the time Miss Farber was 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 that the actual warrant was issued. “LAPD could have checked the fingerprints, her birth date, social security number, photo. They did none of that,” he continued.
Records show that Farber was arrested and subsequently spent 13 days in the Lynwood Women’s Jail before being released on April 28, 2021.
“This is an experience that no one should go to, especially a law-abiding citizen,” Farber explained at a press conference held Tuesday alongside her legal representatives. “There was a lot of distress in my family. They were fighting for me every single day.”
She also claimed that the incident has resulted in anxiety, PTSD, and even the death of her grandmother. According to her attorneys, Farber’s grandmother died following a stress-induced stroke after she learned that her “only granddaughter” had been arrested. Despite her arrest, Farber explained that she was allowed to visit with her grandmother at the hospital days before her passing.
“I can’t explain to you the feeling of that entire situation, and then being released and having [my mother] inform me in the morning that my grandmother was in the hospital,” Farber revealed. “I believe that I would have had more time with her if this situation didn’t happen.”
James Bryant, one of Farber’s attorneys, claimed 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. He characterized that time as “three days she could have spent with her grandmother.
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Farber, an aesthetician, was on her way to Mexico when she heard her name called from a ticket counter at LAX and was ultimately arrested.
When reached for comment, the LAPD told a FOX affiliate that they do not comment on pending litigation.
What a terrifying situation that should open your eyes to the possibility of mistaken identity with authorities.