Man Claiming False Arrest Suing Miami-Dade County, Officer – NBC 6 South Florida

A man who says he was falsely arrested is now suing Miami-Dade County and the officer who arrested him.

Kenny Ortega was arrested by Miami-Dade Police officer Joseph Diaz on July 25, 2020. Body camera footage showed Diaz taking Ortega to the ground after Ortega directed profanity at Diaz after he’d had several too many drinks.

“It messed with me mentally as well just because just knowing someone with so much power could harm somebody else,” Ortega said.

Attorney Rawsi Williams and attorney Frank Allen, who’s an expert in police brutality cases, are handling Ortega’s case.

“Attention to these types of cases nationally have brought the spotlight on the duties of not only the officers who are involved but of the state attorneys and the attorney generals of those states of what their duties are when citizen’s civil rights are violated,” Allen said.

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle charged Diaz earlier this month with battery and official misconduct. Ortega’s attorneys also allege the officer also falsified the police report.

Diaz surrendered himself to authorities after the charges against him. Ortega’s attorneys say it will take about six months for the county to respond to the lawsuit.