Man sues police when he loses his job after cops include him in fugitive list
A man is suing police after he lost his job due to featuring in a "Wheel of Fugitive" video.
David Gay, 23, has launched a lawsuit against Florida Sheriff Wayne Ivey after the police department uploaded a weekly video on social media containing the county's top 10 most wanted fugitives.
The videos, which are popular among alleged fugitives, see fugitives tune in to see if they are "fugitive of the week", according to the sheriff.
However, in a video uploaded last week, Mr Ivey spins the wheel which lands on Mr Gay.
He says: "You know how it works. All 10 people up here have warrants for their arrest.
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"We want to get them off the street and safely behind bears where they can't victimise anyone else".
David Gay lost a job and suffered emotional distress after appearing on the videoHowever, the video wrongly featured Mr Gay and led to him losing his job after his boss watched Sheriff Ivey's "Wheel of Fugitive" videos, according to his lawsuit.
His lawyer, Jessica Travis, wrote: "As he drove to his first day of work, his new employer informed him by phone to not bother showing up as he had seen Mr. GAY in IVEY and/or BCSO's 'Wheel of Fugitive' videos."
Mr Gay said he has suffered emotional distress from the incident and is seeking $50,000 (£40,000) in damages.
The video wrongly featured Mr Gay and led to him losing his job after his boss watched Sheriff Ivey's "Wheel of Fugitive" videosMs Travis revealed the incident led Gay to suffering with anxiety and depression.
In addition, his lawyer said the sheriff's actions has damaged his reputation in a way "that has caused him to be regarded with scorn, contempt, ridicule and disrespect which will continue in the foreseeable future."
According to the lawsuit, Mr Gay was described as a fugitive in the video despite the fact he was already in custody at the Brevard County Jail.
A man has launched a defamation lawsuit against a Florida sheriff who posts weekly "Wheel of Fugitive" videosHe had previously been taken into custody for the violation of probation on January 21 just weeks after being arrested on a separate misdemeanour domestic battery charge.
It is thought Mr Gay could be one of 60 "fugitives" wrongly singled out during the popular social media game, according to Florida Today.
There were allegedly 45 wrongly-named "fugitives" named in 45 videos between February 2020 and February 2021.
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Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey wrongly put Gay's mugshot on the wheelThere were 60 people locked-up in jail at the time of the wheel being aired or were already free.
Mr Gay said in 2021 it was "humiliating" to be wrongly-named.
He said: "Something needs to be done about it. (The sheriff) should probably fact-check everything before he goes showing the whole world talking, telling everybody people's fugitives when they're not."
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