More like “Breaking Mad.”
A New York City man reportedly has filed suit in federal court after the NYPD arrested him for possession of methamphetamine that lab tests subsequently revealed to be Jolly Rancher candies.
According to court documents obtained by The Smoking Gun, Love Olatunjiojo of Brooklyn filed the civil rights action this week in connection with the summer arrest, naming not only the city, but also the three arresting police officers and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
The suit reportedly stems from an incident that occurred in Brooklyn’s Coney Island neighborhood around 8:30 p.m. on June 20, or just after Olatunjiojo and two pals purchased candy, and specifically two red and four blue Jolly Ranchers, from a local candy shop.
Kenneth Smith, Olatunjiojo's attorney, has since told The Smoking Gun the candies were still in their wrappers when the officers stopped the trio – and searched them.
After finding the Jolly Ranchers, Olatunjiojo and one of his friends were arrested for drug possession, according to the lawsuit.
The third man also was reportedly busted for interfering with police, after telling the arresting officers, “It’s candy!”
According to the lawsuit, one of the officers told the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office in the days after the bust he had conducted field tests that, in fact, revealed the candies to be narcotics.
However, tests performed on June 22by an NYPD lab actually showed the candies to be just that -- candies, according to legal papers.
In his lawsuit, Olatunjiojo cites those lab results as containing an order to inform the district attorney of the findings. Yet, despite the allegation, the charges weren’t dropped against him until his court hearing on Sept. 19.
Meanwhile, Olatunjiojo spent 24 hours in police custody before being released without bail after his June 21 arraignment. He is now reportedly seeking unspecified damages in connection with the ordeal.
Click for the story from The Smoking Gun.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
