Dallas Man Falsely Accused in Series of Rapes Sues Police

A man who was named by police in 2013 as a "person of interest" in a series of rapes that he did not commit filed a lawsuit against Dallas police on Friday.

In 2013, after a series of nine rapes in south Dallas, police released Alan Mason's photo and asked the public to help look for him. The suspect was dubbed the "South Dallas rapist."

A SWAT team found Mason asleep in bed and threw him in jail on unrelated charges. He spent nine days in solitary confinement, according to his lawsuit.

Another man, Van Dixson, was eventually charged with the rapes and linked by DNA to at least four of them.

It turned out Dixson was on the run in Louisiana while Mason sat in jail.

At the time, Mason swore he didn't do it.

"No connection. I'm totally innocent," he said in a jailhouse interview. "My family and friends know who I am, know the kind of person I am."

The city of Dallas typically does not comment on lawsuits.

Mason is seeking up to $1 million.

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Mason Suit v City of Dallas (Text)