Woman Jailed for 2 Weeks Due to Mistaken Identity: Lawsuit

A woman is suing the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) over a case of mistaken identity that resulted in jail time. This comes at a time when the LAPD is under scrutiny for other unlawful actions, including officer-involved shootings that prompted an audit of deadly use of force training, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Bethany K. Farber was detained by the TSA upon arriving at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on April 16, 2021, according to KTTV. She was told that it was because of an active warrant against her out of Texas.

Farber had been planning to fly to Mexico to visit with her brother and goddaughter. During her arrest, she claimed to have told LAPD officers that she had no prior criminal history and had never been to Texas.

According to booking records obtained by KTTV, Farber was held at the Lynwood Women's Jail for nearly two weeks on the no-bail warrant, being released on April 28, 2021. She called the experience "absolutely terrifying," according to KTLA.

On Tuesday, Farber and her attorneys announced a lawsuit being filed against the LAPD and the LAX Police. The suit claims that authorities mistook Farber for a different Bethany Farber in Texas and did not take adequate steps to clear up the discrepancy before arresting her.

"At the time miss Farber is booked, the police do nothing to confirm whether or not this Bethany Farber is that Bethany Farber," attorney Rodney Diggs said at a press conference on Tuesday. "LAPD could have checked the fingerprints, her birth date, social security number, photo. They did none of that."

At the same conference, Farber claimed that the ordeal left her with anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"This is an experience that no one should go to, especially a law-abiding citizen," Farber added. "There was a lot of distress in my family. They were fighting for me every single day."

The suit also claims that Farber's grandmother, upon hearing about her granddaughter's arrest, experienced a stress-induced stroke. The grandmother later died in the hospital, a few days after Farber was able to visit her. Attorney James Bryant alleged that the LAPD was told by authorities in Texas that the actual Bethany Farber was in their custody three days before Farber was released. Bryant said those were "three days she could have spent with her grandmother."

"I can't explain to you the feeling of that entire situation, and then being released and having [my mother] inform me in the morning that my grandmother was in the hospital," Farber said. "I believe that I would have had more time with her if this situation didn't happen."

Newsweek reached out to the LAPD for a comment on this story. Fox 11 also reached out to the department and was told that it does not comment on pending legislation.