According to the Los Angeles Times, The Los Angeles City Council has agreed in a unanimous vote to pay out more than $8 million to settle lawsuits caused by fatal shootings of three unarmed men by LAPD officers; The family of Brandon Glenn will receive $4 million, the family of Reginald Doucet Jr. will receive $1.65 million, and the family of Sergio Navas will receive $2.5 million. The high payout for Glenn’s case was a result of LAPD Chief Charlie Beck recommending the district attorney file criminal charges against the officer involved in the shooting.
Click here to read the LA Times story
Although the officer in question has not yet been charged, he has been found in violation of LAPD rules for using deadly force. Glenn was fatally shot during an altercation with police near the Venice boardwalk. The officers testified he was trying to reach for a police officer’s weapon, but other eyewitness testimony, and security camera video from a nearby bar proved otherwise. Doucet was shot during a fight with police officers outside his apartment after he allegedly refused to pay his cab driver. His friends and family questioned how an unarmed man could overwhelm two officers, and why the officers did not use a Taser to subdue him. Navas had been involved in a car chase after refusing to pull over for speeding. He was shot several times after stepping out of his vehicle when the police caught up
Doucet was shot during a fight with police officers outside his apartment after he allegedly refused to pay his cab driver. His friends and family questioned how an unarmed man could overwhelm two officers, and why the officers did not use a Taser to subdue him.
Navas had been involved in a car chase after refusing to pull over for speeding. He was shot several times after stepping out of his vehicle when the police caught up to him. In Navas’ case, Chief Beck identified the officer’s actions as incorrect, saying that no police officer with proper training would consider Navas’ actions a threat. The LAPD is just one department involved in a national outcry against police brutality. A long list of controversial deaths by shooting has brought how officers interact with specific races into question. “It seemed for years that we had a better relationship with the community. We weren’t having fights over whether shootings were in policy or out of policy,” said Councilman Paul Koretz in an interview. “It seems like we’re going in the wrong direction, and it appears that police departments across the country are having the same problem.” The lawsuits prompted the civilian board overseeing the LAPD
The LAPD is just one department involved in a national outcry against police brutality. A long list of controversial deaths by shooting has brought how officers interact with specific races into question. “It seemed for years that we had a better relationship with the community. We weren’t having fights over whether shootings were in policy or out of policy,” said Councilman Paul Koretz in an interview. “It seems like we’re going in the wrong direction, and it appears that police departments across the country are having the same problem.” The lawsuits prompted the civilian board overseeing the LAPD to order the department to review and re-write department rules in order to reduce the number of police shootings, and also to revise training in order to emphasize the use of less-lethal devices.
If you have suffered due to the wrongful death of a loved one due to excessive force, the law firm of Hodes Milman can provide a confidential consultation that protected by the attorney/client privilege. Even if only to learn your options, consultation has no obligation to pursue a civil claim. You may contact us today using the contact form or call (949) 640-8222.
