Wyclef Jean Handcuffed by L.A. Deputies After Being Mistaken for Robbery Suspect

Wyclef Jean shared videos of the incident on social media, saying he was "treated like a criminal" and forced to remove his Haitian bandana.

March 21, 2017

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Complex Original

Wyclef Jean was mistaken for an armed robbery suspect and handcuffed by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies early Tuesday morning, TMZreported. Wyclef and two passengers were first pulled over by deputies at approximately 1:30 a.m. in West Hollywood. According to TMZ's law enforcement sources, the vehicle "matched the description" of a car used in an armed robbery. Wyclef was also reportedly wearing a similar bandana, which Wyclef said was removed by authorities.

Wyclef shared videos of the incident on social media, saying he was "treated like a criminal" and handcuffed before being asked to identify himself:

Wyclef also detailed the incident on Twitter, adding that his attempts at identifying himself were ignored until "other police" arrived at the scene and pointed out they had the wrong person:

Though Wyclef repeatedly mentions "LAPD" in his account, TMZreported Tuesday that LA County Sheriff's deputies were actually the ones cuffing him. The actual suspect was reportedly apprehended around the same time.

The LA County Sheriff's Department confirmed to Entertainment Tonight later Tuesday that Wyclef was "detained" for approximately 10 minutes before being released:

The LA County Sheriff's Department did not immediately respond to Complex's request for comment.