Comedian Hannibal Buress was arrested in Miami in 2017. Now he’s suing the city and police
Comedian Hannibal Buress has sued the city of Miami over what he says was a wrongful arrest in 2017.
The lawsuit, filed July 24 in Florida’s Southern District, names the city, Miami Police Department and Miami police officers Luis Verne and Elio Villegas as plaintiffs. Citing Verne’s history of misconduct, Buress alleges the officer had no grounds to arrest him for misdemeanor disorderly intoxication, a charge that was later dropped. Villegas arrived shortly after the arrest but did not come to the comedian’s aid, according to the complaint.
Miami police did not return a request for comment.
Buress’s arrest occurred in Wynwood in December 2017 after a night of drinking with friends. The 37-year-old comedian’s phone had died earlier that evening, so he asked Verne to call him an Uber.
“Moments after Defendant Officer Verne declined Mr. Buress’s request, Mr. Buress observed Defendant Officer Verne—who was wearing his MPD uniform and clearly on duty—interacting with and kissing young women who were leaving a club,” the complaint said.
Confused, Buress did what he does best: crack a joke.
“’You’re over there kissing [women] but can’t call me an Uber?’” he quipped to Verne.
The complaint alleges Verne became hostile, first ordering Buress off the street and then following him into a bar, then telling him to leave there as well.
Buress exited the bar and began walking away from Verne. He then stopped, turned into the officer’s body camera and said, “Hey, what’s up?! It’s me, Hannibal Buress. This cop is stupid as f--k.” The footage was later used to open his comedy special entitled “Hannibal Buress: Miami Nights.”
According to Buress’ attorneys, the comedian’s profane language alone led to his arrest.
“At no time did Mr. Buress engage in any criminal act,” the complaint says. “He did not cause a public disturbance, he was not threatening, he was not endangering the safety of others or property, and he did not trespass onto private property.”
The comedian’s attorneys believe Villegas should’ve intervened upon his arrival; however, the officer allowed Verne’s mistreatment to continue.
Listing several relevant statistics and Verne’s alleged past misconduct, the complaint accuses the MPD of having “a long standing, widespread policy and practice of failing to hold accountable police officers.” One incident in particular, which the Miami New Times detailed in 2018, involved Verne choking a man at a bar, then fleeing the scene before police arrived.
Buress claims the arrest caused him to lose gigs and suffer emotional distress. He is seeking unspecified damages.
