Jessie Thornton, 64, was reportedly pulled over at the weekend in Surprise, Arizona and charged with Drinking Under the Influence, according to The Daily Mail.
Thornton was left in a state of shock, as he knew he had not been drinking at all. He took a breathalyzer test from the police officer and recorded a 0.000 blood alcohol level, proving his sobriety. However, despite Thornton's claims that he was not drunk, and the seemingly verifying breathalyzer test, officers still arrested him for DUI, saying they simply knew he was drunk.
Thornton has since said: "'An officer walked up and he said 'I can tell you're driving DUI by looking in your eyes.' I take my glasses off and he says, 'You've got bloodshot eyes.' I do the breathalyzer and it comes back zero, zero, zero."
The suspect was then taken to a local police station, where he was forced to undergo an examination by a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). The DRE also seemed to verify that the man was completely sober.
Thornton said, "After he did all the tests, he says, 'I would never have arrested you, you show no signs of impairment'," according to ABC News.
The man was left furious from the ordeal, and also suffered the inconvenience of having his car impounded. According to reports the Arizona MVD also suspended his license and ordered that he take part in a drinking and driving class.
The charges have since been dropped against the man due to the complete lack of evidence, and now an outraged Thornton is now looking to file a claim against the City of Surprise, demanding damages be paid to him in the amount of $50,000.
He has repeatedly claimed he was not DUI, and has since also come out and said that the only real reason he was pulled over and arrested was because he was "driving while black."
Thornton said: "It was driving while black. I just don't want any of this to happen to somebody else."
The man's attorney Marc Victor said: "This is a case of D-W-B, driving while black … This is not the way American citizens ought to be treated by officers or treated by anybody for that matter."
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