79-year-old U.S. citizen files $50 million civil rights claim after Van Nuys car wash ICE raid

[SunSeeker]

Rafie Ollah Shouhed, a longtime Valley Car Wash owner, said he was inside his business at 7530 Van Nuys Blvd. when masked agents stormed the premises. Surveillance video reviewed by KTLA shows a federal agent shoving Shouhed to the ground inside a hallway.

Shouhed told KTLA he stepped outside to speak with the agents, offering proof that his employees were legally authorized to work, but was instead cursed at, pushed back, and body slammed onto the pavement. According to the civil rights claim, three agents then jumped on his back, with one forcing a knee onto his neck while others restrained his arms. Shouhed claims he told agents he had recently undergone heart surgery, had three stents, and could not breathe, but that his pleas were ignored.

He was handcuffed, transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, and held nearly 12 hours without medical attention, he alleges. Despite agents later acknowledging he was a U.S. citizen, Shouhed said he was denied phone calls to his family and released without charges.

The $50 million claim alleges assault, battery, violation of the California Bane Act, deliberate indifference to a serious medical condition, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and other torts. It also claims that DHS, ICE, and CBP maintain policies that tolerate the use of excessive force. Attorney V. James DeSimone, who filed the claim on Shouhed’s behalf, said in a statement that federal agents’ actions were “outrageous and unlawful” and violated both federal and California civil rights laws. 

https://ktla.com/news/79-year-old-american-citizen-files-50-million-claim-after-car-wash-ice-raid/

[peacebuzzard]

1. unacceptable and despicable

how has this devolved so extensively.?

[cbabe]

3. Money.

[peacebuzzard]

59. of course it is, geez, I had forgotten.

I really had. With all this unsavory shit spewing out of the white house I have been under the blankets. I live in my little world trying to ignore most to keep my calm, keep my bp down. Try to forget, until something like this grabs my attention. I admit this has me depressed all over again...

[SunSeeker]

4. It comes from the top. Trump approves of the violence, just like he did on 1/6. nt

[RVN VET71]

55. Unleashing violence at a whim is what invigorates the flaccid old man

I'm not trying to be funny here. DJT is old, very old, older than a man his age would be who took care of himself. This has obviously affected his sense of manhood. Violence is his way of compensating.

Basically, if he can't have a 13 year old to rape -- because he couldn't rape one even were she made available -- the next best thing is to screw the Country and its governing Constitution.

[William Seger]

14. ICE has given sadists licenses to commit assault with immunity from accountability

... as part of Stephen Miller's "cruelty is the message" strategy, intended to satisfy Miller's own sadistic xenophobia and as intimidation to encourage "self-deportation."

[Hekate]

24. 40-year plan spawned in Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society, backed by billionaires ...

…who are sure democracy has run its course and that they should be in charge. Billionaires Without Borders, actually — what’s a nation to them but a cash cow to be milked and a flock of sheep to be sheared?

While you and I were trying to earn a living and also working for the common good when we had time, they had their eyes on much greater goals — such as becoming extraordinarily rich and powerful, two achievements that proved beyond a doubt that they deserved to be.

As a side gig, and just for giggles and shits as a friend of mine puts it, they also supported a burgeoning religious movement that promised its adherents that if God loved them they too would become rich. And if instead they remained poor, unhealthy, and up to their ears in debt, that meant God did not love them because they were doing something wrong.

See what a lovely circle of justification that makes?

[aggiesal]

32. When DHS is paying their ICEstapo agents a bounty for each capture ...

we're in the way of the ICEstapo agents from getting the bounty $$$'s.

That's how this devolved so extensively.

[peacebuzzard]

58. This is the reason. These icestapo thugs are amuck with the leniency

and power given to them with no boundaries; anything goes and nothing is out of bounds.
beat them; bound them; drag them and no consequences. It is an adrenaline rush with prize money at the end.
Good Lord there is no recourse to this.

[peacebuzzard]

60. damn.

In a case like this; do they get compensated for an error? Or is adrenaline rush sufficient? There were probably some employees there that fit the bill?

[lonely bird]

56. See...

Lord of the Flies.

[TommieMommy]

2. What they did was beyond horrible. What the hell 😡

[MIButterfly]

5. Lord have mercy.

This is absolutely despicable. Those goons throwing an old man to the ground. I just want to cry for him and everyone else who has to face this inhumane treatment. Goddamn those bastards all the way to hell and they can take their dear leader with them, as well as all the people who are okay with it.

Please, please, please, can anyone stop them? This is too much. They are going too far. None of us are safe. History had shown us that they start off with one group, which leads to another and another and if mistakes are made, oh well.

I am scared to death. This is not the America I grew up in and I'm afraid it never will be again.

[Klarkashton]

6. Pack of roving chuds. These crazy violent bastards are being loosed on the public for "retribution" pure and simple.

[patphil]

7. These ICE-holes are the ones that need to be locked up.

They're the real criminals here.

[popsdenver]

44. Only pre-requisite

is they lean towards sadistic tendencies............If they were as brave as they act, they wouldn't be wearing face mask and have I.D. on their battle gear, along with their names.......

If Trump corruptly starts a war in Afghanistan, I think we should round up all these tough guy, wannabe soldiers and airdrop them all into a real war zone, where their enemies can and do fight back.............

[Seinan Sensei]

53. The ultimate Cosplay

All dressed up in paramilitary battle-rattle
They never go after the buff 6’4” guy

It’s an Incel’s wet-dream

[patphil]

61. Yeah, like any other predator, they go after the weak and defenseless.

[surfered]

8. Unprofessional, inadequately trained law enforcement. Probably militia members and/or Jan 6ers

[PatSeg]

9. Every day I am shocked anew

That was brutality beyond any reason other than to be cruel and violent.

[Puppyjive]

10. The American People will suffer

I expect this man to win in court. The settlement will be staggering and the US taxpayer will ultimately be stuck with the bill. These ICE agents are complete morons and ignorant of basic principles of the law.

[Danmel]

11. My dad survived Auschwitz

I'm grateful he is not here to see this. It triggers me, I can't imagine how he would react.
They are the gestapo.

[Joinfortmill]

45. They are, and it's getting worse daily.

[progressoid]

12. Expose the perps

[Martin68]

13. We've got to rein in Dump's Gestapo.

[ultralite001]

15. More power to him...

We have rights...

[Lonestarblue]

16. I was reading the comments on an article in the Guardian and people deemed the US unsafe to visit for any reason.

We are seen by Europeans as a violent country with an out-of-control government. Some commenters also said that the US can never be trusted again even with a better administration because voters could elect another Trump or someone even worse. Better to leave the US behind and forge a new alliance.

I wonder how much tourism has declined due to Trump.

[Doodley]

30. And the 'official' figures will show a surge in international tourism.

[Native]

17. Here's the video of The Raid:

https://ktla.com/video/van-nuys-car-wash-owner-raided-by-ice-speaks-out/11082445

[SunSeeker]

38. That video shows he wasn't interfering with them, they just pushed he down in the hallway for no reason.

Same with when he was outside and trying to tell the two ICE Nazis that he had his employees' papers. That third ICE Nazi came running from out of the frame and tackled him to the pavement for no reason. Then the other two piled on. It's totally sick. He should be able to get punitive damages against the agents under a Bivens claim. If that's not "malice, ill will, or reckless indifference to the plaintiff's federally protected rights," I don't know what is.

[AllyCat]

18. Good. Sue these fascists into the sand.

[Fla Dem]

19. I hope the Judge increases the penalty, sues ICE and the perpertator.

Look at that man. How cowardly are they that they beat up an elderly man like that especially when he's an legal citizen.

[Cha]

20. Freaking Gestapo ASSHOLES!

I SO HOPE Rafie Ollah Shouhed Gets Compensation and Gov Newsom gets a Load of this.

[mountain grammy]

21. Sue the snot out of them.

[maxsolomon]

22. The SCOTUS will rule shortly

from the Shadow Docket. Guess what they'll say?

[Joinfortmill]

46. Their day is coming. They're traitors.

[maxsolomon]

62. Nah, it's probably not.

Has accountability ever come for a SCOTUS judge?

[AverageOldGuy]

23. And they wonder why . . .

. . . some people decide to shoot them.

[Hekate]

28. Hardly anyone is doing that as far as I can tell

[ShazzieB]

25. I hope Mr. Shouhed cleans up, AND...

I hope this is just one of many lawsuits against Schlump and his thugs for roughing up and arresting people without bothering to check whether they're U.S. citizens first.

This crap has GOT to stop.

[Hekate]

27. No law enforcement agency should be roughing up ANYONE in this manner

Thuggery plain and simple

[Hekate]

26. Those thugs could have killed him. Broken bones. Caused a stroke. This behavior is unacceptable in any society...

… that dares to call itself civilized.

[Hekate]

29. What always amazes me is just how many heavily-armed men it takes to arrest one small old man

How they need several men to throw a smaller older person to the ground and kneel on them.

They must feel soooooo brave and manly. And patriotic.

[Doodley]

31. This is what America has become. Democratic lawmakers need to be heard before we lose everything.

[Ping Tung]

33. Three agents (aka thugs) to bring down one old sick man?

I hope none of the heroic agents (aka thugs) weren't seriously injured in the fight he put up.

[MissouriDem47]

34. Now You See The Reason

Why the ICE cowards cover their identity with mask.

[flashman13]

35. I want to make a correction here. They are not agents. They are Storm Troopers as in the SA types.

[sabrams]

36. Stop going after $7 figure settlements

People need to stop going after small money.
Minimum must be $1.5B. Is someone asks "why do you think this is worth $$$". Simply ask them how much their civil rights are worth.

[iluvtennis]

37. So hope he gets the money. This ICE shit of raiding businesses needs to stop. If they have evidence that

someone is not authorized to work in the US, get a warrant and have the police arrest them.

The issue is that they don’t have any such evidence…all they have is the color of somebody’s skin not being white.

[Mblaze]

39. $50 million is not enough.

Trump sues networks in the billions for words.

Sticks and stones v Words.

[Hassler]

40. Sadists are usually found in prison jobs. Now

We have to add ICE goons.

[louis-t]

41. ICE is hiring people who hate immigrants.

This is why this is happening. It's what Herr Miller wants. Sue the fuck out of him and them. This is not about deporting criminals, this is about jailing, beating, torturing and deporting immigrants.

[COL Mustard]

42. You don't want me on the jury.....

I'd give at least $100M. What an outrage.

[Joinfortmill]

43. What goddamn fascist bums. Hope he's ok & wins.

[moonshinegnomie]

47. Make the agents themself liable

Strip their qualified immunity since they are well aware that they arrested and held a citizen for no reason

[IcyPeas]

48. I hope he can get some good lawyers. ICE thugs need to be stopped!

[SunSeeker]

50. The lawyer he got has done a lot of local police brutality cases.

But going after anonymous masked federal agents is a little trickier. I wish him the best of luck. I hope he and his client not only get a lot of money, but get an injunction on this kind of brutality.

[IcyPeas]

54. Exactly... they cant even be identified. It's all over the local news tonight.

I was glad to see it being covered. The lawyer was interviewed too.... I hope he has a good team. Rafi's daughter is a paralegal, she was at the press conference.

He needs a dream team of lawyers for himself and then to sue Homan, sue Noem, sue drump.

ICE also raided a carwash on ventura blvd in studio city a couple of weeks ago.

The guys at the carwashes are doing an honest days work and these masked goons are terrorizing them and so many in this community.

I'm disheartened that this is being done and there's nothing that can stop it.

[raising2moredems]

49. Jackbooted Brownshirts...

Perhaps it was ICE in that smash and grab heist in San Ramon.. just saying.
Kudos for him calling out the anti-American thugs.

[MrWowWow]

51. Sue the ice goons individuslly as well as the DHS et al

Good civil rights case for a young legal eagle to take on. Nice payoff as well. A slam dunk, open and shut case for the Plantiff.

[SunSeeker]

52. First they need to figure out who the masked men are.

But that's what discovery is for. He named all the agencies. They'll have to fess up who was there.

[RazorbackExpat]

57. "More power to him!"

as my grandfather used to say