San Diego, CA
On Juneteenth last week, McKenzie Scott PC filed a federal civil rights complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California on behalf of Hakimkhalfani Webb, a 62-year-old honorably discharged U.S. Marine Corps veteran and San Diego County business owner, against the City of San Diego and two San Diego Police Department officers. The complaint [Case No. 3:26-cv-03641-AGS-VET] alleges that Mr. Webb was subjected to two racially-motivated pretextual traffic stops in June 2025 and January 2026, during which he was removed from his vehicle, handcuffed, searched, and photographed without legal justification—conduct the complaint alleges is consistent with a well-documented and longstanding pattern of racially disparate policing by the SDPD.
About Mr. Webb
Hakimkhalfani Webb was born and raised in Texas and joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 18. He served honorably for 21 years – including three combat deployments to Beirut, Desert Storm, and Iraq – before retiring in 2002 and continuing to serve in the reserves for an additional nine years. Since retiring, Mr. Webb has operated All Point Security, a security firm he has owned in San Diego County since 2001. He is the father of three daughters and grandfather to two granddaughters. He has no criminal history whatsoever.
The Incidents
June 14, 2025: Mr. Webb was pulled over by SDPD Officers Michael Hagen (#1148) and Adrian Villanueva (#1759) under the stated pretext of a missing front license plate – a plate that was in the cab of his truck following a recent bumper replacement. The officers drew their weapons upon approaching him. Upon discovering his lawfully-registered 9mm Glock – a firearm he has carried for work as a licensed security guard since purchasing it in 2001 – Officer Hagen repeatedly told Mr. Webb he would shoot him. Mr. Webb was removed from his vehicle, handcuffed, placed in a patrol car, and subjected to an “inventory search” that found no contraband. He was not cited for the missing license plate. Instead, he was arrested on the false claim that the Glock was not registered to him, a charge the City itself subsequently confirmed was completely erroneous – in truth, the officers had failed to enter the complete serial number when checking registration.
Despite the City’s acknowledgment that Mr. Webb should not be prosecuted because his firearm was lawfully registered to him, it refused to return Mr. Webb’s property, requiring him to pay the California Department of Justice for a “Law Enforcement Gun Release.” Mr. Webb did not recover his gun – his primary tool of employment – until December 4, 2025, nearly six months after it was wrongfully seized.
January 24, 2026: The day after Mr. Webb submitted a request to seal and destroy records of his wrongful arrest, Officer Villanueva – the same officer from the June 2025 stop – made a U-turn to follow Mr. Webb’s vehicle in South San Diego. After Mr. Webb came to a complete stop at three consecutive stop signs, Officer Villanueva initiated another traffic stop, claiming Mr. Webb had rolled through a sign. Mr. Webb was again removed from his vehicle, handcuffed, and forced to pose for photographs from the front and side – mug-shot style – in the street, surrounded by uniformed, armed SDPD officers. He was released after approximately 30 minutes without any citation.
The Data: A Pattern the City Has Long Known About
The complaint draws on data published by the City of San Diego itself as well as findings from California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board (RIPA) and San Diego’s own Commission on Police Practices (CPP).
California’s RIPA Board 2026 Annual Report: Reducing pretext stops will increase public safety and reduce racial profiling
The 2026 RIPA Board Report found, consistent with prior years, that racial and identity profiling in California remains a serious concern. The Board specifically noted that pretextual stops – stops based on hunches without reasonable suspicion or probable cause – are particularly susceptible to racial bias, and that RIPA data show Black drivers are asked for consent to search more frequently than White drivers despite minimal discovery of weapons or contraband. The Board found that officers asked for consent to search most frequently in stops initiated for equipment violations, with the highest rates in stops of Black individuals (6.45%; 7,016 stops). The RIPA Board also found that “a wealth of information, data, and research shows that pretextual stops do not benefit the community.” Accordingly, the RIPA Board noted “that there are significant benefits to enacting policies limiting or eliminating pretextual stops, including an increase in public safety and a reduction in racial and identity profiling.”
San Diego Commission on Police Practices – 2024 RIPA Data:
San Diego’s own Commission on Police Practices, in a June 2026 community briefing, highlighted the following findings:
- Black individuals were stopped 3.05 times more often than expected based on population, while White individuals were stopped 15.05% less often than expected.
- Compared to individuals perceived to be White, individuals perceived to be Black were:
○ 4.42 times more likely to be frisked
○ 3.36 times more likely to be asked to consent to a property search
○ 3.31 times more likely to be handcuffed
○ 3.24 times more likely to have force used against them
○ 2.31 times more likely to be subject to a parole status inquiry
○ 1.22 times more likely to be detained in a patrol car
The Commission on Police Practices will likely formally recommend that the City take action to reduce or eliminate pretextual stops, noting that such stops do not increase public safety.
Claims
The complaint asserts 10 causes of action, including violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (unlawful search and seizure, unlawful seizure of property, and equal protection), California’s Bane Act (Cal. Civ. Code § 52.1), negligence, false arrest, conversion, and trespass to chattels. A Monell claim is brought against the City of San Diego for its policy of failure to train officers to avoid race-based stops and seizures.
Mr. Webb seeks compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive relief to end race-based stops and searches by the SDPD, and attorneys’ fees and costs.
Statement of Counsel
“Mr. Webb proudly and honorably served our Country for three decades; he’s spent his civilian life as a law-abiding business owner in San Diego County,” said Michele A. McKenzie of McKenzie Scott PC. “What happened to him–and what keeps happening to him–is sadly not an anomaly. The City’s own stop data demonstrates that year after year Black drivers in San Diego are stopped, searched, handcuffed, and photographed at disproportionate rates that cannot be explained by anything other than race. Mr. Webb is a father and grandfather who has lived a law-abiding life. He rightfully is seeking a future in which he can live and drive in San Diego without fear of being arbitrarily stopped because he is a Black.”
“I feel it is important to stand up for myself and for others who are being stopped based on the color of our skin. These recurring stops by the police are terrifying and dangerous. I feel blessed that so far I have not been physically injured when the police point their weapons at me. But it’s past time for this to stop. I’m speaking out now before my blessings run out.” said Mr. Webb.
About McKenzie Scott PC
McKenzie Scott is a San Diego civil rights law firm dedicated to protecting individual liberties and holding government entities accountable. The firm specializes in civil rights violation cases, including police misconduct, First Amendment rights, in-custody jail deaths, civil liberties, and public interest litigation. McKenzie Scott’s attorneys have successfully represented numerous families in excessive force and wrongful death cases against law enforcement agencies, including securing the then-largest excessive-force verdict in American history ($85 million in K.J.P. v. San Diego) and the largest wrongful death settlement in history paid by San Diego County ($16 million in the Hayden Schuck case).
For more information, please visit www.mckenziescott.com.
MEDIA REQUESTS:
Jason Kitchen
McKenzie Scott PC
1350 Columbia Street, Suite 600, San Diego, CA 92101
C: (517) 974-4724 | O: (619) 794-0451