In a two-month span, Keith Puckett was visited or detained twice by El Segundo police officers.
One encounter was a visit to the 46-year-old black man's El Segundo home in the early morning hours by a group of police officers, and another was an afternoon traffic stop by an individual officer.
The two 2021 incidents are at the center of a racial profiling and unlawful detention lawsuit filed Thursday by attorneys representing Puckett against the city of El Segundo.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial, compensatory damages and an injunction prohibiting the city from engaging in unconstitutional conduct. The plaintiff also asks that El Segundo adopt appropriate policies and training to prevent such conduct in the future.
“Racism by law enforcement is illegal, unconstitutional and harmful to all who experience it, even when it does not involve violence,” said Lauren Blas, Puckett’s attorney. in a sentence“While it may not be national news, this is the kind of harassing, degrading and insidious behavior that Black people and people of color have to deal with every day.”
The city issued a statement: “The City of El Segundo is committed to treating everyone fairly, regardless of race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or alleged involvement in criminal activity.”
A police investigation on May 4 and a city human resources investigation on April 22, 2022, into Puckett's allegations found no wrongdoing.
Puckett is an active member of the community and has worked as a parent volunteer, PTA member, youth recreational sports coach, basketball coach at his son's school, volunteer crossing guard and lunchtime security support member, according to the lawsuit.
El Segundo published almost 20 minutes of Dashboard and body camera video of each incident.
The first incident took place on January 21, 2021, outside Puckett's home shortly after midnight, when police questioned him about a car driven by a friend of Puckett's that was registered with stolen plates.
The officer eventually explained to Puckett's friend that there was likely a clerical error regarding his license plates that needed to be quickly resolved with the DMV, according to the footage.
“The incident on January 21st deeply disturbed Mr. Puckett,” the suit states. “He was unable to sleep again that night and had to take the next day off from work.”
The second incident took place on March 14 when Puckett was stopped because an officer noticed his license plate light was not working.
A video and a subsequent photograph taken by Puckett appear to show a working light and a visible license plate.
The officer asked Puckett for his name and personal information.
Puckett accused the officer of stopping him solely because of his race.
Shortly after running his information, the officer thanked Puckett for his cooperation and wished him good night, according to video provided by the city.
“For the second time in two months, Mr. Puckett became deeply distressed and unable to sleep, and had to take the next day off work,” the suit says. Although Puckett has not been arrested since then, he said he fears continued racial discrimination.
But the city said in a statement that the videos showed that in “both cases the officers behaved in a professional and respectful manner.”
Still, Puckett filed complaints with the police chief and city manager, without obtaining a resolution, according to the lawsuit.
After the second incident, Puckett sent an email to then-City Manager Scott Mitnick, according to the lawsuit.
Puckett met with Mitnick to further discuss what happened and spoke about the incidents in a City Council Meeting of March 16, 2021.
An email to Mitnick, who is now the city manager of Moraga in Northern California, went unanswered.
Prior to the lawsuit, Puckett's legal team said, he signed 11 agreements with the city regarding policing, anti-bias training and the treatment of Black residents within the city in an effort to avoid a lawsuit.
The city said it treated Puckett's allegations “seriously” and hired an outside firm to investigate.
The city said it agreed with all but one of the policy changes, which was to “deprioritize stops for hidden license plates.”
“The City of El Segundo is unwilling to agree to suspend these practices when doing so would negatively impact public safety at a time of growing concerns about crime,” the city said.
Puckett's attorney, Blas, said the lawsuit “is a final effort to hold the city accountable for its unlawful conduct and force it to end racial profiling by ESPD.”
