A federal agent claims Santa Clara police abused him and trashed his home -- all because he is Muslim.
Mohammad Moneeb in March was believed by police to be in possession of a stolen dashboard camera stolen.
Santa Clara officers and other law enforcement then executed a search warrant at his family's home, with security video showing the 26-year-old Moneeb being pulled out of his mother's car and pushed to the ground.
"This has been a pretty traumatic experience for our family," Moneeb said.
Moneeb, who works for the US Department of Homeland Security, said he is coming forward with his story because he does not want anyone to go through what he did and is also possibly setting the stage for a lawsuit.
Moneeb and his attorney, Dan Mayfield, are accusing the officers involved of excessive force and racial profiling in trying to retrieve the cameras.
"Part of what is going on here is an undertone that Mr. Moneeb is a Muslim and therefore must be a terrorist," Mayfield said.
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Mayfield also notes that even though all of Moneeb's family were outside of the home, officers used a battering ram to get inside. In addition, Moneeb's relatives said the house was trashed after officers left.
"Which is why we say there's another agenda here," Mayfield said.
Santa Clara police said they were following procedure for executing a warrant and were not excessive. Police also said Moneeb was uncooperative in previous attempts to interview him.
"Let's keep in mind that this person accused of this, or is a suspect in this, is a federal police officer with police officer training with a weapon," Santa Clara Police Lt. Kurt Clarke said. "So we have to take all the necessary precautions when executing that search warrant. We don't know what to expect."
Ultimately no camera was found at Moneeb's home and court documents show charges were dismissed. Moneeb said he is considering whether to take legal action against the officers.
