Florida Man Sues Walmart & County Deputy Over Racial Profiling, False Arrest [Video]

A Florida Walmart shopper has filed a federal lawsuit after being racially profiled inside one of the stores.

Tony Nguyen was seen in a now-viral video from last November being arrested in a case of mistaken identity. Per the lawsuit, Nguyen was shopping at the Spring Hill Walmart when an employee phoned 911 to inform them that Nguyen was actually a trespasser by the name of Cody Vondelinde. Both men are of Asian descent, which ultimately led to the loss prevention officer mistaking the two for one another.

“There’s an Asian male in the store right now. His name is Cody Vondelinde. He trespassed from this store. He is not allowed to be here, and he also tends to be violent and carries weapons,” the caller told the operator.

In the complaint, Nguyen said no one ever asked him for identification, and it wasn’t until he was taken to jail that the truth was revealed. Even then, Nguyen was not immediately cleared of criminal charges. Instead, a 2013 trespassing incident is what authorities used to keep Nguyen detained. Those charges were eventually dropped, but the Walmart store still  had no trespassing order against him. A police officer apologized to him before finally taking him home. However, Nguyen says that does not suffice.

“This is a case of all Asians look alike because when (the deputy) showed up, guess what he didn’t do? He didn’t identify Tony,” Nguyen’s attorney said, adding that Cody and his client look nothing alike.

“I’m still nervous. I’m still anxious. I have a dash cam in all my cars. I’m ready to pull my phone out. I’m still scared,” he stated.

The ordeal has led Nguyen to file a claim against Walmart and the Hernando County Deputy for racial profiling. He is seeking $10 million in damages.