KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
A door-to-door salesman won a lawsuit last week after a jury found a police officer wrongfully detained him at gunpoint when he went to a Santa Clarita home in 2015 to sell a security system.
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Omar Segura, 37, of Stevenson Ranch, was awarded $750,000 after a Los Angeles Superior Court jury found he was wrongly accused of a crime, according to court documents.
“I can finally go on social media or promote my business without people thinking I am a criminal,” said Segura.
On Jan. 2, 2015, Segura was going door-to-door in Saugus when he came to the home of Pasadena Police Officer Sam Priyamal De Sylva, who was off-duty at the time of the incident.
“That day changed my life forever,” Segura said. “I was just going door-to-door, doing my job, and then I got arrested.”
After a verbal dispute, the off-duty officer called the police, alleging Segura was trying to break into his home on Woodstone Place.
“I went to the officer’s house, and he got aggressive,” Segura said. “He then called the police to tell them I was trying to break into his house.”
Segura was taken into custody and charged with attempted burglary, according to arrest records.
After two weeks, the charges were dropped due to “insufficient evidence,” according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Upon being released, Segura filed a lawsuit alleging emotional distress and defamation due to the arrest unfolding on social media.
“I wasn’t even looking for any money,” Segura said. “All I wanted was to be able to tell everyone I was innocent.”
The jury ruled in favor of Segura, awarding him a six-figure settlement on Dec. 26, almost four years after the incident in Saugus.
“Justice was served,” said Segura. “It took four years, but I am glad my name was finally cleared.”
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While what happened to him was wrong, was he doing either of these and did he have a valid license to solicit?
D. Aggressive Solicitation. No solicitor may persistently and importunely engage in soliciting with a person after that person has indicated that he or she is not interested in the solicitation.
E. Refusal to Leave Premises. No solicitor may refuse to leave any residential or commercial premises when requested to leave by an owner, occupant, or responsible person for such premises.
Mixed feelings about this.
If the cop was truly being abusive or threatening for no reason except that he didn’t like solicitors or was making it about race, then that’s bad, especially going to the lengths of pulling a gun…but on the other hand, we have had a few very aggressive salesmen in our neighborhood lately. They keep talking after you say “No thank you” and make you feel very uncomfortable, barely letting you close the door and as a woman, it can be very intimidating and scary. It’s not that they are outright mean or hateful… it’s more passive-aggressive, but it leaves you feeling vulnerable and unsafe, which no one wants to feel in their own home or neighborhood.
My neighbors have called the police to come when these type or salesmen are making their rounds and now after this verdict, I wonder if any police would even bother coming to check out complaints of aggressive solicitors…?
Problem is with all the crime and break-ins lately you never know if someone is casing the neighborhood, so we need to be able to rely on our police to keep their presence visible to ward off criminal activity, even if they can’t make an arrest…In My Humble Opinion.