On December 4, a federal civil rights trial, conducted via zoom, ended in a man's favor after the city of Tacoma agreed to pay him $8 million for being shot by a police officer during a car chase in 2011.
According to the lawsuit filed, the tragic incident occurred on October 12, 2011, when the man was being chased by a caravan of police cars for driving with his headlights off. During the 15-minute chase, the man who had a suspended license and had consumed cocaine drove at 25 mph to 35 mph and said that he wanted to reach home as his wife needed the car for work.
An officer used his SUV as a roadblock to halt the man and shot 10 times into the side and back of the man's SUV, which struck the man three times. The incident left the man paralyzed, and his legs had to be amputated.
The attorney representing the man said that the Tacoma Police Chief acknowledged the violation of policies by the department during the chase, which also included escalating a low-level situation. The attorney further added that the family was exhausted by nine years of litigation trying to get the case into the courtroom.
Previously, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused immunity to the officer, stating that there was no reason to began shooting as the man did not pose any threat, but left the final decision to be made by the jury.
The city will pay nearly $2.6 million from the settlement, and the remaining will be covered by the insurance company.
