Rushed and handcuffed during a craigslist sale

[mthawkins]

Raleigh, North Carolina.

I had put up an ad on craigslist selling a iPod Nano last week. Yesterday I received a text inquiring about the iPod, it's condition, and date & time for meet up.
I met the person outside my apartment complex. After the transaction was finished, I was rushed by at least 5-7 undercover officers. Some with vests, some without, yelled for me to put my hands behind my back, and slapped handcuffs on me.
(This caused a lot of chaos at the apartment building. People were watching. I'm also employed at my apartment complex as a grounds keeper, so if anyone recognized me that could cause a lot of issues and possibly get me fired. Considering if people thought I was being arrested, and I have access to keys, they would feel threatened. Incredibly embarrassing. )

The man grabbed my iPod, and the officers behind me began to search me. Told me the iPod was stolen from a car break in.
I was asked permission for them to enter my home with my response being "no." They threatened getting a warrant, coming to my apartment, and breaking down the door that I would have to "pay for."

They took the iPod to a van to do a serial number to make sure it was the correct one they were looking for. After 10 minutes of this nonsense, I was told that I was being detained. Not arrested, right before they brought the iPod back out with the news that it wasn't the correct one.

What can I do? Worth getting a lawyer involved, and what type?

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Sounds like a sting that failed. The officers were only trying to protect themselves in the action and coerce a confession.

 

[tranquility]

If you have any case at all would depend on why the police did what they did. If they were just trolling craigs list for any ipod sales, that would be a problem. I suspect they had something more.

But, no matter. You really did not suffer any real damages. While you can win a civil rights lawsuit with nominal damages, no attorney is going to go through all the effort and hassle with no payoff. Even lawyer fee provisions in civil rights law would depend on the issue involved and the egregious nature of the acts. In the first place, I don't think there is any unique issue here to litigate and the acts were not that egregious so you will probably not find an attorney. In the second, with the limited amount of damages, it would not be worth your while.

 

[TigerD]

Life in a police state.
Vote for leaders that are interested in freedom and liberty instead of safety and "democracy".

DC

 

[LdiJ]

Raleigh, North Carolina.

I had put up an ad on craigslist selling a iPod Nano last week. Yesterday I received a text inquiring about the iPod, it's condition, and date & time for meet up.
I met the person outside my apartment complex. After the transaction was finished, I was rushed by at least 5-7 undercover officers. Some with vests, some without, yelled for me to put my hands behind my back, and slapped handcuffs on me.
(This caused a lot of chaos at the apartment building. People were watching. I'm also employed at my apartment complex as a grounds keeper, so if anyone recognized me that could cause a lot of issues and possibly get me fired. Considering if people thought I was being arrested, and I have access to keys, they would feel threatened. Incredibly embarrassing. )

The man grabbed my iPod, and the officers behind me began to search me. Told me the iPod was stolen from a car break in.
I was asked permission for them to enter my home with my response being "no." They threatened getting a warrant, coming to my apartment, and breaking down the door that I would have to "pay for."

They took the iPod to a van to do a serial number to make sure it was the correct one they were looking for. After 10 minutes of this nonsense, I was told that I was being detained. Not arrested, right before they brought the iPod back out with the news that it wasn't the correct one.

What can I do? Worth getting a lawyer involved, and what type?

I have to admit, that sounds like a whole lot of overkill for a crime possibly committed as a result of a car break-in. I suspect that the police were hoping to capture someone responsible for lots and lots of car break-ins...or at least I hope so.

I agree with the others at this point, you really don't have any actual damages other than your embarrassment. If you do lose your job over this incident, then you may have something to go on. At this point however, you really don't.

 

[davew128]

And after they released you I hope (speaking as a generally authority defying rebel) that you dropped a number of F bombs and other colorful metaphors on them as they certainly deserved it.

 

[CdwJava]

As a note, we've made a number of these cases and never had one come up bupkis. I am not sure what the officers were acting on, but it might have seemed good. Or, as is often the case, the owner provided the wrong serial number so they had no choice but to release the OP.

It might be worth contacting the police and seeing if they will explain to you what happened and why. They might not, but, it might explain why they targeted you. On the other hand, if you really were responsible for the theft (or knew about it or others) of the item you may not want to make any waves at all as facts that might tend to incriminate you might come out.

Craigslist IS a den of thieves and has become a great place to fence stolen goods .. hence the reason victims and the police troll CL after a theft.