Video: Detroit Police Sergeant Caught Planting Evidence To Destroy Family Owned Business

Detroit — A recycler has sued the city and Detroit police in federal court, alleging he is being targeted in a scrap-metal crackdown after a sergeant was caught on surveillance camera planting evidence.

Dearborn resident Joseph Fawaz, whose family owns Southwest Metals, accused a sergeant on the city's Copper Theft Task Force of waging a years-long personal vendetta, bribing a witness and arresting employees. The task force member, Sgt. Rebecca McKay, allegedly was caught on the scrap metal shop's surveillance camera planting evidence during a raid, according to the lawsuit.

[...]One year ago, McKay obtained a warrant to search Southwest Metal's location in Dearborn, the lawsuit alleges. She was hunting for stolen copper and underground wire.

There was no probable cause, according to the lawsuit. During the search, McKay was seen on the company's surveillance camera and "appeared to plant evidence," Ayad claims in the court filing.

In the video, McKay walks into a storage room and finds nothing, according to the lawsuit.

Minutes later, she returns to the room "and looks both ways as if to see if anybody else is in the area," Ayad claims in the lawsuit.

"Sgt. McKay then immediately and quickly walks to the back corner of the room, a location she had already been," Ayad wrote. "She then squats in the corner and miraculously returns with a very small piece of wire."

McKay alleged that the wire was stolen, according to the lawsuit.