Bobby Wingate was walking down the street in Jacksonville, Fla. last December when a cop stopped and asked to talk to him.
From there, according to court papers obtained by First Coast News, things took an unusual and violent turn.
Wingate told the officer he was running late. That’s when the officer cited him for walking on the wrong side of the street.
Court papers said “the officer then hit Wingate in the face and engaged his Taser.”
The case went to trial but was thrown out when the officer admitted during testimony that he didn’t remember what side of the street Wingate was on when he was cited.
Wingate, who is black, was the victim of racial profiling, according to his attorney. The two have filed a lawsuit against the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Because of the pending litigation, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lauri-Ellen Smith told The Huffington Post she could not comment on Wingate’s allegations or on whether an internal investigation will be launched against the officer who arrested him.
Gawker sums up Wingate’s case in its headline: Florida Man Literally Arrested for Walking While Black.