A San Leandro accountant is suing the Oakland Police Department for being placed on the city’s Most Wanted list for six months, even though he was not being sought by authorities. In a federal lawsuit filed on March 5, Chau Van said that a friend called him on February 7 last year to inform him that KTVU-TV was airing a segment on Oakland’s most wanted criminals and showed his name and photograph along with several other alleged felons.
Fearing for his safety, Van called San Francisco civil rights attorney Stuart Hanlon, who conducted his own investigation and learned that OPD did not have a warrant out for Van’s arrest. A week later, Van turned himself in to Oakland Police on February 13 to try and clear his name. After being held for three days, he was released without charge.
