In lawsuit, comedian claims jail assault after arrest at San Francisco International Airport

In a statement, Sheriff’s Office Communications Director Gretchen Spiker said the Sheriff’s Office conducted an internal review of the complaint in 2025 and that evidence disputed Ahmed’s version of events. 

“The Sheriff’s Office will not litigate the facts through the media. The Sheriff’s Office looks forward to responding through the appropriate legal process,” Spiker’s statement read. 

Ahmed arrived at SFO on the night of Sept. 27 after an international flight, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by Trial Lawyers for Justice and the law offices of Haytham Faraj. A dispute ensued after United was unable to secure several passengers, including Ahmed, overnight lodging, the filing said, and airline representatives called the San Francisco Police Department Airport Bureau. 

SFPD arrested Ahmed, although officers “did not investigate and did not witness” anything to substantiate that arrest, the lawsuit said. Ahmed was booked into Maguire for public intoxication by an outside agency, Spiker said in a statement, however, the suit alleges the intoxication claim to be false, and said it was made up to justify the arrest and noted Ahmed was never charged with a crime. 

Ahmed was allegedly beaten, causing a broken wrist and elbow, and deputies allegedly attempted to pull down his pants before strapping him to a chair and putting a bag over his head, a situation that caused him to fear for his life and gave him post-traumatic stress disorder, Nick Rowley, an attorney with Trial Lawyers for Justice, said. 

After Ahmed allegedly pleaded with deputies to look him up and said he was a well-known comedian who was not a threat, he was unstrapped and put in a holding cell for 15 hours before being released, the lawsuit said. 

Rowley said his client, a Muslim American comedian who has appeared in several films and headlined major comedy tours, is speaking out so that no one else will endure what he went through and those who have will come forward. 

“They picked on and bullied the wrong guy,” Rowley said. “There are other people that need to be protected and other people that deserve justice and accountability. … Something like this doesn’t happen as a one-off.” 

Trial Lawyers for Justice is seeking accountability, Rowley said, including criminal prosecution of the involved deputies and financial compensation for Ahmed in an amount to be determined by a judge and jury. 

“He’s been diagnosed with PTSD — he was tortured, he thought this was the end of his life,” Rowley said. 

The lawsuit names San Mateo County, the Sheriff’s Office and former Sheriff Christina Corpus as defendants. The county and Corpus did not immediately respond to request for comment.