Joseph Lopez (Instagram/@joseph_lopez_28) An American social media influencer and his brother have been jailed for three months for assaulting police while intoxicated on a night out in Dubai. Joseph Lopez, an airforce veteran and Mister USA contender, and his brother Joshua were arrested for "assaulting Dubai Police officers, resisting arrest and damaging public property". The brothers "didn't realise the men were plain-clothed police officers", and thought they were being abducted.
An American social media influencer and his brother have been jailed for three months for assaulting police while intoxicated on a night out in Dubai, officials told AFP on Thursday. Joseph Lopez, an airforce veteran and Mister USA contender, and his brother Joshua were arrested for "assaulting Dubai Police officers, resisting arrest and damaging public property", the official Dubai Media Office said in a statement. The "intoxicated" tourists were fined $1 428 and sentenced to three months in prison followed by deportation for injuring police and damaging a police vehicle while trying to flee, according to the statement sent to AFP.
According to Detained in Dubai, a UK-based group that campaigns against judicial abuse in the United Arab Emirates on behalf of expats and tourists, the Ohio natives were "drugged and robbed" during a yacht party in the Middle East glam hub. "It is clear they were targeted by scammers who were wanting to rob them," said Radha Stirling, who heads the NGO. READ | Dubai .