What started as a late-night drive home from work has turned into a looming legal showdown for the City of Hialeah, after a 27-year-old man says a tense traffic stop left him face down on the pavement and now at the center of a civil rights fight.
Alquez Griffin says he was heading home last September when Hialeah police pulled him over at a gas station at East 10th Avenue and Hialeah Drive and forced him to the ground. His attorney, Roderick Vereen, calls the arrest unlawful and says he plans to sue the City of Hialeah after criminal charges against Griffin were dropped. The encounter, captured on body-worn camera, has circulated among neighbors and legal teams.
Bodycam Shows Guns Drawn And Rough Commands
Body camera footage shows officers approaching the vehicle with guns drawn and ordering Griffin and two passengers out. One officer is heard saying, "I'll taser your [expletive] chest if you don't come out. Come over here," according to WSVN. Another officer is captured on the same clip yelling, "Yes, get the [expletive] out of the car," as the occupants are forced onto the pavement.
Attorney Blasts Stop As Unlawful And Potentially Deadly
Vereen told reporters he believes his client was unfairly singled out and that the arrest could have turned deadly if Griffin had made any sudden move. "This is deadly. If Mr. Griffin had made one false move at that time, no doubt he would've been fired upon," the attorney said. He added that he plans to pursue claims for false arrest and excessive force, as reported by WSVN. Police initially stopped Griffin for swerving and later charged him with carrying a concealed weapon. Those charges were later dropped.
How A Civil Rights Lawsuit Would Likely Move Forward
Claims like the ones Vereen is signaling typically move under federal civil rights law, specifically 42 U.S.C. § 1983, which allows people to sue state or local officials who deprive them of constitutional rights, according to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute. Plaintiffs can seek damages from individual officers and from a city, but success often hinges on the strength of the evidence, how courts apply qualified immunity, and whether the original stop was supported by probable cause.
Department Under A Cloud As Scrutiny Builds
The Griffin case lands while Hialeah's police department is already under a spotlight. The agency is still dealing with high-profile scrutiny after the June 2025 arrest of former Police Chief Sergio Velazquez on alleged fraud and theft tied to department funds, a development that prompted state investigators and public concern, as reported by Local 10. Civil rights attorneys say that when a department is already weathering controversy, even routine traffic stops that escalate can fuel louder demands for swift transparency.
What Comes Next For Griffin And The City
Vereen says his office will file a formal claim seeking damages and records related to the arrest. The City of Hialeah has not released a detailed public response on the matter. For residents watching closely, and for legal observers, the case is shaping up as a test of whether body-worn video and legal pressure will lead to policy changes, a settlement, or a protracted courtroom battle.
