A man from Hudson, Florida, has filed a federal suit against a Hernando County deputy, a Walmart loss prevention officer and Walmart itself for allegedly wrongfully arresting him after mistaking him for another Asian person.
The arrest, which was caught in a now-viral video, occurred at the Walmart Supercenter on Commercial Way in Spring Hill on Nov. 27. 2022.
The employee identified the man as “Cody Vondelinde” to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office over the phone, saying, “There’s an Asian male in the store right now. His name is Cody Vondelinde. He trespassed from this store. He is not allowed to be here, and he also tends to be violent and carries weapons.”
Shortly after, the Hudson County deputy arrived and arrested Tony Nguyen, who had been shopping with his girlfriend, Lauren Caldwell.
Caldwell filmed the encounter, which saw the deputy put her boyfriend in handcuffs and pull him out of the store and into a police vehicle.
“Why are you pulling me? I’m walking with you,” Nguyen says in protest. “You know I’m disabled, right? I have back issues.”
Nguyen was taken to jail, and it was only then when officers finally asked for his ID, according to the suit.
“I was able to confirm your ID at the jail. You’re not the person he was looking for,” a deputy reportedly told Nguyen. “You have not been trespassed, and so I’m taking you back to your house. And for me personally, I apologize. Sometimes identities get mixed up.”
However, Nguyen said he was not immediately released. While on the police ride home, the sheriff allegedly kept him in handcuffs, pulled over and took his photos to “confirm” his identity yet…
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