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Man Claims He Was Targeted by “Racist” Ft. Lauderdale Cop

Only on 6, a South Florida man is speaking out after he says he was arrested and targeted by police because of the color of his skin.

For the first time, one of the people arrested by one of the four officers in Fort Lauderdale who were fired for racist behavior is speaking out.

"He was aggressive to me for no reason," Sherman Bynes said about his arrest last March.

Bynes was pulled over and arrested by one of the four Fort Lauderdale police officers who have since been fired for sending racist text messages and a video to each other.

He said he thinks he was pulled over, "Probably because I had a nice car and I'm black - that's the only reason I can see - they see a nice car and a black guy that's it."

He faced three misdemeanor charges for not wearing a seat belt and having pot in his car, but he's now a man free of charges. His was one of 40 cases dropped by the Broward State Attorney's Office.

In all of the cases that were dropped, the defendants are black and were picked up by one of the four officers in question.

"It was overwhelming I didn't believe it at first," Bynes said.

Bynes has been in and out of jail for driving and drug infractions for the past 15 years.

"No one's getting a lucky break here," said Gordon Weekes, Jr., Chief Assistant Public Defender.

Attorneys with public defenders office said the state had no other choice but to drop the charges. The credibility of the officers are now in question.

"The State Attorney's Office has to look at the conduct of these officers and purge the criminal justice system of this racism," said Weekes.

They want a review of all arrests made by the officers.

As for Bynes, he lost his job after the arrest and is now searching for a new one.

"He could've given me tickets, but instead he took me to jail and took my money," Bynes said.

The public defender is now calling on the Fort Lauderdale Police department to releases the pictures of the four officers involved so the public can see their faces to determine if they have any run ins with them in the past.
 

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