Without his badge and uniform, Jalen Woods discovered he was just another suspicious Black man in the eyes of police who last year pulled him over in Arizona for chirping his tires and took him to jail.
Now the Chicago police officer is suing the Tempe Police Department for violating his First, Fourth, and 14th Amendment rights, as well as false arrest, malicious prosecution, gross negligence, defamation, and racial discrimination.
“Mr. Woods’ civil rights were violated when Tempe Police unlawfully pulled him over and searched his vehicle without any probable cause,” Benjamin Taylor, one of the Arizona attorneys representing Woods, told Atlanta Black Star.
The incident took place on Aug. 23, 2024, only hours after Woods had arrived in Phoenix to celebrate a friend’s birthday…