SAN MATEO, Calif. — A lawsuit filed in San Mateo County Superior Court alleges that sheriff’s deputies beat, hooded, restrained and psychologically tortured comedian Ahmed Aboubakr Ahmed for nearly 21 hours after what the complaint describes as a wrongful arrest at San Francisco International Airport in September 2025.
The lawsuit names the County of San Mateo, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department, former Sheriff Christina Corpus and multiple unnamed deputies as defendants. Ahmed, who performs professionally as “Ahmed Ahmed,” alleges he was violently assaulted, falsely imprisoned, sexually abused and denied medical care and access to legal counsel while detained at Maguire Correctional Facility.
According to the complaint, Ahmed, an Arab American comedian and actor, was returning from an international comedy tour in Thailand on Sept. 27, 2025, when delays on a United Airlines flight caused him to miss a connecting flight.
Court records state that United Airlines provided Ahmed with a hotel voucher for the Crowne Plaza, but after traveling there, he was informed no room was available because guests allegedly needed to confirm reservations in advance. Ahmed returned to the airport after 1 a.m. and sought additional assistance from United employees regarding rebooking and reimbursement for transportation expenses.
The complaint alleges tensions escalated between frustrated passengers and airline representatives before a United employee contacted airport police and claimed Ahmed was being disorderly. According to the filing, officers arrested Ahmed without interviewing him or other passengers and without conducting any meaningful investigation. The complaint states Ahmed did not resist arrest and was exercising his right to complain as a customer.
Ahmed was transported to the San Mateo County Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City, where the lawsuit alleges seven to nine sheriff’s deputies immediately surrounded him and launched a violent attack while he remained handcuffed.
According to court records, deputies grabbed Ahmed by the neck and repeatedly punched and kicked him in the head, jaw, ribs and other parts of his body, allegedly causing a broken rib, broken wrist, broken elbow, head trauma and lacerations. The complaint states Ahmed repeatedly screamed that he was not a threat and begged deputies to stop, but the alleged assault continued.
The lawsuit further alleges deputies attempted to pull down Ahmed’s pants while laughing and “high-fiving each other.” Ahmed claims he resisted by clenching his legs and shouting, “You cannot rape me,” as deputies attempted to remove his clothing.
Afterward, the complaint alleges deputies moved Ahmed into a separate room, placed a bag over his head and strapped his shoulders, legs and ankles to a restraint chair so tightly that he struggled to breathe. Ahmed alleges he remained isolated in those conditions for several hours.
“Mr. Ahmed was then terrorized, and he genuinely believed that he was going to be killed,” the complaint states. “This belief began after the SMCSD Sheriffs’ placed a bag over his head while he was seated and bound/restrained to a chair.”
According to the filing, Ahmed was denied water, medical treatment, access to an attorney and the opportunity to contact family members. He alleges that requests to call his mother or obtain legal counsel were ignored and that deputies twice provided him with faulty PIN numbers that prevented him from making telephone calls. The complaint states Ahmed feared deputies would return and kill him while he remained restrained and hooded.
The lawsuit alleges Ahmed remained in custody for approximately 21 hours before deputies informed him he would be released without charges. The complaint further alleges that facility records falsely stated Ahmed had resisted arrest and was intoxicated, despite no sobriety testing being conducted.
After returning to Los Angeles, Ahmed sought treatment at Southern California Hospital at Culver City. According to the complaint, medical evaluations confirmed traumatic injuries, including a broken rib, injuries to his jaw, a broken left wrist, a broken left elbow and lacerations on both wrists and ankles.
“I have spent my life trying to bring people together through laughter, but what those officers did broke something in me. I was scared for my life. They tortured, humiliated, beat and injured me,” Ahmed said in the press release. “The trauma has scarred me physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. I was released without being charged with any crime because I did not do anything wrong. I will not walk away from what happened to me without doing everything I can to hold the officers and department accountable. By doing so, I hope to make sure this does not happen to anyone else.”
Attorney Haytham Faraj said in the press release, “Ahmed was racially stereotyped, discriminated against, brutalized, terrorized, and dehumanized because deputies saw an Arab Muslim man who was less deserving of dignity, humanity, and constitutional protection.”
“The fact that these officers were comfortable beating and torturing a U.S. Citizen behind closed doors while he begged for mercy should alarm every American,” Faraj added. “No one should ever be beaten, hooded, sexually abused, and terrorized by law enforcement. This abuse of power will not go unchecked, and we intend to hold every single party accountable as well as investigate and discover what is truly going on at the San Mateo County Maguire Correctional Facility.”
Trial attorney Nick Rowley stated, “What happened to Ahmed is one of the most disturbing abuses of power I have ever seen.”
“This was state-sanctioned assault and battery by Rampart-like law enforcement gangsters against a handcuffed and hooded man who did nothing wrong,” Rowley said. “Ahmed did not resist, and yet he was racially stereotyped for being large and Muslim. After the deputies deprived him of his basic human rights, they realized who he was and released Ahmed without charging him with anything. Nothing excuses this kind of abhorrent conduct.”
The lawsuit alleges causes of action for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence, false imprisonment, sexual battery, violations of the California Bane Act, violation of California Government Code Section 845.6, and negligent hiring, retention, supervision and training. The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages for the physical, emotional and psychological injuries Ahmed alleges he suffered.
The case is Ahmed Aboubakr Ahmed v. County of San Mateo, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department, Christina Corpus, et al.
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