MIAMI BEACH—Lawsuits are pending against two police officers accused of wrongfully arresting a gay man.
Harold Strickland said he was arrested after calling 911 to report two officers allegedly kicking a handcuffed man “like his head was a football.”
Officers arrested Strickland, he claims, upon seeing him report their behavior.
“Gay men have been reportedly targeted by Miami Beach police near Flamingo Park for decades. Often, police target gay men walking near Flamingo Park for nothing more than looking ‘too gay’,” the American Civil Liberties Union’s Robert Rosenwald said in a written statement.
Strickland was charged with loitering and prowling, while the handcuffed man was charged with the same and resisting arrest.
Arrest reports said Strickland gave “conflicting stories” and was arrested because he couldn’t “dispel officers alarm for the safety of property and persons in the area.”
The ACLU is charging the two officers and the city of Miami Beach with misconduct and wrongfully targeting Strickland.
To read more on this story, visit NBC Miami.
