Santa Clara to pay $499,000 after trashing home of Muslim federal agent

Muhammad Moneeb, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, said his house was trashed by Santa Clara police as they searched for a camera. Muhammad Moneeb, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, said his house was trashed by Santa Clara police as they searched for a camera. Photo: Family Photo Photo: Family Photo Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Santa Clara to pay $499,000 after trashing home of Muslim federal agent 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

The city of Santa Clara agreed to pay a Pakistani American homeland security agent and his parents $499,000 to settle a federal lawsuit that claimed police illegally searched and trashed their home and made an unlawful arrest, actions motivated in part by the family’s Islamic faith, their attorney said Wednesday.

Muhammad Moneeb and his parents filed a civil rights suit against the city a year ago, saying police conducted a “military-style” raid looking for a $300 camera, a ransacking that left the family’s Quran and other religious items on the floor.

Moneeb, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent, said he told authorities he had no knowledge of the camera, but that at 1:15 a.m. on Feb. 10, 2014, police officers armed with assault rifles and accompanied by dogs broke down the door of the home he shared with his parents to search for it.

After he complained about the conduct, Moneeb said, a SWAT team returned on March 27, searched the home for three hours and arrested him. He was charged with possession of stolen property, but the camera was never found and the charges against Moneeb were later dismissed.

The federal suit named the city, Police Chief Michael Sellers and 15 officers.

“I can confirm that the settlement terms outlined are correct, but I can’t speak to the allegations and general content that they included,” Jennifer Yamaguma, a spokeswoman for the city of Santa Clara, wrote in an email Wednesday.

The City Council voted to approve the settlement Tuesday night, with $350,000 going to Moneeb and his parents and $149,000 earmarked for legal costs, said the family’s attorney, Michael Haddad. The deal requires the city to support Moneeb’s petition to seal and destroy all records that claimed he threatened police officers.

The family has since moved out of the city.

“I am glad the City of Santa Clara has decided to end this episode of misconduct by its police department,” Moneeb said in a statement Wednesday. “I hope this will bring awareness so no Santa Clara resident has to endure what our family went through and the police officers involved are held accountable for their actions.”

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker