Hello everyone here on the free legal advice site, and I would like to thank the owners of the site for allowing me to raise my topic. Please read, I want to share my experience that I went through during the weekend and see if I can take any legal action behind it?
On Friday night, my girlfriend, cousin, and I flew to Los Angeles, California to pick up my cousin who was staying there but wanted to move. He doesn't like flying so we took a road trip. We picked it up and on the way from california we picked up a half gram vape and an edible 110mg, because they weren't in california. We are driving through Utah when we pass a K-9 police officer who is parked in the middle. I passed him at the speed limit as there was other traffic too. He turns into our lane and eventually catches
up to me. He kept riding in the blind spot for about 3/4 of a minute, then he pulled me over. I stopped my car and he came to the window and told me I had crossed the white line twice. Well, I didn't think I did but whatever. Then he asks me why I am nervous and if the police make me nervous, I say no. I gave him my ID and insurance, rental car info, everything: Then he told me he'd write me a written warning and follow it to the team car because it's easier to get my info. I agreed. While in his car he talks a bit about the Minnesota snow and some other random stuff. Then another police officer showed up
and told me it smelled like marijuana was burning in the car and I told him I didn't burn any weed in or out of this car because it's a rental. Then he asks me if there is anything in the car that he needs to know. I told him what I had (vape: edible). And he thanked me. Then he asked me, "Is everyone in the car a US citizen?" I told him there was no need to ask and he told me "I just check the boxes". He then asks me, “Why do you look like a defeated man? You look like you just got lost” He then proceeds to get them all out of the car and takes my cousin who I told him we took him back to the squad car where the officer used Google Translate to try and get information from my cousin who speaks Spanish and doesn't understand what does he say. During this time the officer asked him if he was being deported? he told him
Shrek that my cousin looked different from us? My cousin was wearing a button-down shirt, jeans, and work shoes. They asked my girlfriend, "When did you get back from Mexico?" Whatever it means. I yelled at my cousin that he could plead at five and wait for a lawyer if they wanted to take it that far. Then they handcuffed me and told me I was being held. During this time my other cousin was not questioned, nor was he sitting there with nothing even his ID. They searched my car for an hour and a half to two hours. Up and down everything. Never miss an inch. Both officers searched and searched. nothing. At this point I was just laughing and said to the officer "Sir, can I just show you where it is?" He replied, "How do you know where it is?" After all this. They came back to me, and said to me 'Man, let's put the handcuffs on and get you guys on your way.' They let us go and we left.
Is there any legal action I can take behind this?
We feel racial profiling and worry that others may have had this experience.