A woman is suing Los Angeles Police officers, claiming they violated her rights when they pulled over and searched at gunpoint a U-Haul she had rented, because the police believed the van had been stolen.
Police pulled over Gabriela Koutantos on Sept. 25, 2022 "in the erroneous belief that the rented U-Haul truck Ms. Koutantos was driving might be stolen," says the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. "The U-Haul van was lawfully rented in Ms. Koutantos’s name and she complied with all police orders, never
presented any threat, and had committed no crime."
The deputies "surrounded Ms. Koutantos, held her at gunpoint, ordered her onto her knees, handcuffed
her, and detained her," the suit says. "Ms. Koutantos’s mother, Barbara Kappos, was present and
witnessed the incident."
Police detained Koutantos for "a significant period of time" before telling her that they suspected the van was stolen and had confirmed that it was not, the suit said.
Koutantos seeks unspecified compensatory, general, special and punitive damages.
She is represented by Dan Stormer and Brian Olney, of Hadsell, Stormer, Renick & Dai, LLP.
Koutantos et al v. Los Angeles County, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, 2:23-CV-08592