Black teen arrested in New York after paying for $349 belt

A black teenager sued the Barneys fashion chain and New York City police for allegedly racially profiling him for credit card fraud after he bought a $349 belt. The upscale clothier denied wrongdoing and the City of New York Police Department disputed at least one of the lawsuit's allegations. Trayon Christian, 19, an engineering student at New York City College of Technology, told the New York Daily News employees at Barneys New York's flagship store targeted him and police then detained him because they didn't believe a young black man could legitimately afford an expensive belt. Christian, who had a work-study job at the time and now works at a Target Corp. store, told the newspaper his paycheck had been direct-deposited into his bank account and he went to Barneys April 29 to buy an imported Salvatore Ferragamo belt. "I gave them my debit card, I signed my name," he said. He also showed a state photo ID after the clerk requested it, the lawsuit states. He then left the store, but about a block away, two undercover detectives stopped him, the lawsuit alleges. "They said my card wasn't real, it was fake. They said someone at Barneys called to report it," Christian told the newspaper. The male detectives -- whose names he didn't learn -- asked for identification and to see inside his bag, he said. They also asked if he worked, and where. "I showed them my school ID and my driver's license," Christian told the newspaper. "I kept thinking, 'Why is this happening to me?'" he said. "The detectives were asking me: 'How could you afford a belt like this? Where did you get this money from?'" he said. The detectives handcuffed him and took him to a local police station, he said. Police detained him in a holding cell for about 2 hours, the lawsuit alleges. They then released him, along with his debit card and his belt, and apologized, Christian told the newspaper. Police spokeswoman Inspector Kim Royster said police held Christian "for approximately 42 minutes," not 2 hours, "and as soon as we determined that the card was authentic, he was immediately released." He was never charged, said his attorney, Michael Palillo. "He's never been arrested. His only crime was being a young black guy buying a $300 belt," the lawyer told the News. The police questioning and detainment caused Christian "great physical and mental distress and humiliation," the lawsuit states. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages from Barneys and the Police Department, alleges "negligence, careless[ness] and recklessness" by Barneys and the undercover detectives. Barneys issued a statement on Facebook Wednesday saying it "typically does not comment on pending litigation. [But] in this instance, we feel compelled to note that after carefully reviewing the incident of last April, it is clear that no employee of Barneys New York was involved in the pursuit of any action with the individual other than the sale." "Barneys New York has zero tolerance for any form of discrimination and we stand by our long history in support of all human rights," the statement said. The city's Law Department, responsible for most New York City legal affairs, said it hadn't seen the court papers yet. "We are awaiting a formal copy of the lawsuit and will review the claims upon receipt," department spokeswoman Elizabeth Thomas said. Christian told the News he returned the belt to Barneys a few days after the incident and got his money back. "I'm not shopping there again," he said. "It's cruel. It's racist."