Black Couple Files Lawsuit Against California Police Over Alleged False Arrest in Carjacking Case

A California couple has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Vallejo and two police officers, alleging they were wrongfully detained, subjected to excessive force, and falsely arrested during a 2024 carjacking investigation.

According to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, plaintiffs Ronnie Lewis and Candace Evans claim Vallejo police officers Rosendo Mesa and Jeremy Callinan violated their constitutional rights during a traffic stop that stemmed from a reported armed robbery on May 18, 2024.

The lawsuit states that police were investigating a carjacking at the Carquinez Inn after a victim reported being robbed at gunpoint by a Black man wearing all-black clothing. The victim allegedly told officers he did not see any female participant during the incident and could only identify the suspect as an African American male with a goatee.

According to the filing, Officer Mesa later located the victim’s stolen vehicle and observed Lewis walking nearby before entering a Nissan Rogue with Evans in the passenger seat. The lawsuit alleges Lewis was wearing a gray Adidas sweatshirt with white stripes, a white T-shirt, and light blue jeans — clothing that did not match the description provided by the victim. Despite that, officers allegedly initiated a felony stop.

Lewis said he complied with officers’ commands, placing his hands outside the vehicle and exiting as instructed. However, the lawsuit alleges Mesa pointed a firearm at him, ordered him out at gunpoint, and later deployed a Taser after Lewis verbally protested his detention. Lewis was then handcuffed and placed in a patrol car.

Evans said she was also removed from the vehicle, handcuffed, and tackled while recording the encounter on her cellphone. The complaint further claims officers shut a patrol car door on her leg while placing her inside the vehicle, causing injuries to her knee.

The lawsuit also challenges the legality of a vehicle search conducted during the stop and an in-field identification procedure involving the robbery victim. According to the complaint, the victim initially told officers he could not positively identify Lewis as the person who robbed him. The filing further states that the victim did not identify Evans as being involved in the alleged crime.

Despite the purported lack of identification, both plaintiffs were arrested. Evans was charged with obstructing an investigation and resisting arrest, while Lewis was charged with carjacking, according to the complaint. The filing states Evans’ charges were later dismissed and that Lewis was prosecuted for more than a year before his criminal case was ultimately dismissed.

Lewis and Evans are seeking damages on multiple claims, including excessive force, unlawful detention, false arrest, malicious prosecution and deliberate fabrication of evidence. The lawsuit alleges Mesa intentionally misrepresented Lewis’ clothing in police reports to make it appear consistent with the suspect description provided by the victim.

The allegations remain claims made in a civil complaint and have not been proven in court. A response from the defendants had not yet been filed at the time of the lawsuit’s submission.