Owner of Triple S convenience store files suit against BRPD, city

BATON ROUGE - The owner of the North Foster Drive convenience store where Alton Sterling was killed in an officer-involved shooting has filed a lawsuit against Baton Rouge Police.

The store owner, Abdullah Muhlafi, alleges that officers illegally locked him in a patrol car for more than four hours in addition to confiscating his cell phone and taking surveillance video from his shop.

The Triple S Mart proprietor was at the scene last Tuesday morning when BRPD officers responded to the scene after they received reports that a man was using a gun to threaten people. Outside of the store, they encountered 37-year-old Alton Sterling, who frequently sold CDs outside of the Triple S Mart. Muhlafi ended up recording footage obtained by News 2 last week that captured BRPD Officer Blane Salamoni shooting Sterling six times in the chest.

Muhlafi alleges in the lawsuit that police then confiscated his “entire store security system” without obtaining a warrant and took him into custody for many hours without allowing him to contact his family or attorney.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Baton Rouge district court on Monday, includes both involved officers, BRPD leadership and the city. Muhlafi is seeking damages for false arrest, false imprisonment, the illegal seizure of his security system and illegally commandeering his business, according to Muhlafi’s attorney.