CVS, located on Warren Ave. in Detroit.

DETROIT — Attorneys for three Arab teens have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, claiming that Detroit police officers abused their authority and violated the teens’ Miranda rights during a prostitution sting on Aug. 26.

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 18 by attorneys Amir Makled and Nick Hadous, alleges that officers with the Sixth Precinct handcuffed the teens, illegally searched their vehicles and placed them in unmarked police cars out of resentment that they had allegedly foiled their sting operation.

One officer allegedly even used Snapchat to mock the teens as they were being arrested and posted it on his social media.

The incident took place in the city’s Warrendale neighborhood. Hassan Abdallah and Ibrahim Bazzi, both 17, were at a Coney Island restaurant to pick up their friend Ali Chami, 18,  who had finished his shift.

As they were leaving, Abdallah spotted a relative pulling into the CVS parking lot across the street and waved him down. The man drove over to the restaurant to greet them.

That move allegedly agitated the police officers – who apparently believed the man pulling into the CVS was entering into a carefully monitored prostitution sting. 

When the man drove over to the teens instead, police officers stormed the Coney Island parking lot to handcuff and search them without consent for “interfering in a sting operation.”

“We decided to file a lawsuit because of the outrageous behavior of the officers,” Makled said. “They are young men who have never had problems with the law. They were wrongfully arrested and viciously prosecuted for crimes they didn’t commit.”

The four officers named in the suit are Michael Carson, Joseph Machon, Jordan Leavy and Ibrahim Abdul-Hamid. 

Officers named Johnson and Carter were also named, although their full names were not given. 

Makled said the use of social media to boast about “capturing” the teens highlighted the officers’ unprofessional conduct.

“I think all the officers involved were acting inappropriately, especially the officer that decided to snap the image of a kid who was arrested,” Makled said. “It is highly inappropriate and inexcusable.”

The lawsuit claims the officers drove the teens at high speeds, but without activating lights or sirens, to a west Detroit neighborhood in the area of Tireman and Abington and dropped them off, instead of taking them to a police station to have their parents pick them up safely. Two of the teens reside in Dearborn, at least five miles away from the area, and the third lives in Romulus. They were instructed to “walk home.”

The attorneys claim police officers disregarded state laws in the handling of the minors.

Abdallah’s car was seized by the police and taken to a towing vendor. 

The lawsuit alleges that Detroit Police routinely use the vendor to tow cars in a “scam” to make money for the vendor and the officers involved, on the side.

Abdallah’s father allegedly had to pay several hundred dollars to get the car back. 

Hadous, who practices out of Southfield, told The AANews that the teens and their families were upset by the incident and are looking to expose the officers’ misconduct.

“Anyone is going to be traumatized by that type of encounter with police, but I know the families were very upset,” Hadous said. “They want to shed light on what happened and have their day in court and get justice. They want to bring awareness to the department so that they know what these officers are doing.”

He added that there was no such evidence that Abdallah’s relative was going to “pick up a prostitute” or engage with a police decoy. He said that even if that was the case, police acted out of line. 

“It doesn’t even look like that gentleman was going to do that,” Hadous said. “That was a CVS parking lot and there were a lot of cars pulling in. To my knowledge, their was no interaction with a decoy and the relative, and even if there was, there is still no underlining crime.” 

The Detroit Police Department has declined to comment on the case. The officers listed in the lawsuit are still working for the department.

The attorneys said they are puzzled by the officers’ bizarre behavior and question if there are protocols the department needs to sharpen with their force.

“Clearly, I think with these officers, something was amiss,” Hadous said.  “They were not acting professionally at all. I don’t know if it’s a department line issue. But they didn’t act within any legitimate scope of authority.”