Two brothers from Illinois traveled to Miami for a little fun in the sun but ended up spending over 30 days in jail despite never being charged for a crime.
Shyquawn and Carl McNickles had only been in Miami for a few hours when they found themselves in jail, KITV reports. They ended up staying in jail for 33 days even though they were never charged with anything. Their father believes his 20- and 18-year-old sons were racially profiled and thrown in jail.
“The police pull up, guns out; told us if we move, they were going to shoot us,” Shyquawn recalled of the unexpected arrest that came on his 18th birthday.
“I couldn’t even hear, like my ears started just ringing,” said Carl McNickles III, “like I didn’t know what was going to happen.”
The Lansing, Illinois, residents had arrived in Miami with their father to celebrate Shyquawn’s birthday. After their father allowed them to go hang out with friends shortly after their arrival, Carl III’s girlfriend called Carl Sr. around 3 a.m. to tell him that both of his sons were in jail.
They had been arrested in connection with two armed robberies that took place less than an hour earlier. Their father pleaded with officers telling them that his sons had no criminal records and Shyquawn was just a high school student while Carl III plays football and wrestles at William Penn University, KAKE
reports.Their mother recalled her sons spending “33 long, miserable days,” in jail as that’s the maximum someone can be held in Florida jail without charges.
After hiring lawyer Tony Moss, the attorney was able to easily spot issues with the police report including the vague description an eyewitness gave of the robbery suspects.
Miami-Dade prosecutors say they will not pursue legal action against the brothers, as noted by the Latin Times. But, for some reason, the arrest will remain on their records. As a result, Carl McNickles III lost his college athletic scholarship.
Moss said he will support the family should they choose to “sue the hell out of the Miami Beach Police Department.”