A.V. COLLEGE HIT WITH CIVIL RIGHTS SUIT MAN SAYS HE WAS SINGLED OUT.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - A 23-year-old former Antelope Valley College student acquitted of charges he assaulted campus security guards is suing the college, claiming his civil rights were violated.

Kenjuan De Adams, an African-American Palmdale resident, says in his lawsuit that security officers singled him out for his race and clothing, beat him, put him in a choke hold and doused him with pepper spray, then filed a false police report against him.

``The guy spent 11 months in jail because these people filed and prepared a false police report alleging acts on Mr. Adams that he did not commit. He was there peaceably minding his own business and he gets beat up and they bring up all these trumped up charges against him,'' attorney Loren Nizinski said. ``They had hurt him physically and they had to cover their butts.''

Charged with assault and battery for the February 2000 incident, Adams was acquitted of all charges by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury in December.

The lawsuit names as defendants the college, four college security officers, and the company that employed them, Regional Patrol Services in Quartz Hill.

Antelope Valley College officials declined to comment other than to say that Adams' claim was denied by the board at last week's meeting.

``The board has rejected the claim. It has been turned over to our insurance carrier, and they will assign an attorney to handle this for us,'' said Tom Brundage, vice president of business services.

Officials from Regional Patrol Services did not return telephone calls for comment.

The prosecutor on the case could not be reached for comment. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Steve Owen said security staff tried to detain Adams because he had been involved in a cafeteria altercation.

``He attacked school security,'' Owen said. ``(The security officers) were involved in a scuffle when they tried to detain him. Two of them sustained pretty serious injuries.''

Owen said Adams challenged and cursed at the security officers, and that Adams' friends joined in the fray.

One of the security officers is African-American, one is white, and two are Latino, Owen said.

The incident occurred about 2 p.m. Feb. 1, 2000, in the college's south parking lot, the lawsuit and officials said.

``Prosecutors made the claim that Adams had gotten into a fight prior to this incident in the cafeteria,'' defense attorney Mark Shapiro said. ``When (Adams) got down to the parking lot, the officers mistakenly believed that he was part of a group of people who were involved in the ruckus, and he was not. Once in the parking lot, officers tried to get what they perceived to be several people who had been involved in the altercation. They didn't have any means of identification other than male black. They were trying to stop everyone who was male and black.''

Shapiro said Adams stopped when officers called out to him but turned to walk away after one of them was rude to him. An officer grabbed him, and Adams pulled away while making some derogatory comments about ``rent-a-cops'' and saying that he didn't have to stop for the officer, Shapiro said.

Adams was thrown to the ground and a scuffle ensued, Shapiro said.

The lawsuit said the security officers ``acted maliciously in instigating the criminal prosecution in that their true motive was to protect themselves from civil liability, as well as to annoy and harass plaintiff because they had wrongfully, and falsely, and maliciously profiled him and picked him out to be a type of person not wanted on the Antelope Valley College campus solely due to his race, and the clothing he was wearing.''

Nizinski said Adams was wearing blue baggy, ``hip hop-type'' clothing.

``My impression is that the security officers at the college have a preconceived notion as to what is gang attire. They were going up to him, questioning whether he belonged on campus or not, kept on asking for proof of his classes prior to and on the day of the incident,'' Nizinski said.