By Ricardo Roura
A jury unanimously ruled to award a compensation of $17 million dollars to the family of a Hispanic man who was shot to death by Tustin police officers in 2021, following a trial that determined the shooting was excessive and unreasonable.
Luis Manuel García, 39, a homeless person when, according to Tustin police, he quickly emerged from some bushes with a bag of recycling cans and a stick he used to pick up trash. That’s when officers shot him, on August 9, 2021.
Luis Manuel’s family filed a lawsuit against the city of Tustin for excessive use of force in García’s death.
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The Tustin Police Department reported in 2021 that officers responded to a call about a man who was hiding in the bushes.
A video recorded with a body camera shows the moment when García came out of the bushes and showed them a bag with the cans and the stick. Officers used a Taser to subdue the homeless man before shooting him.
The family’s lawyers said that one of the police officers shot García twice when he was supposedly trying to fleewhile another of the agents applied the electric shock with the Taser gun.
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The California Department of Justice reviewed the case, as part of a protocol, and considered that there was insufficient evidence to support a criminal case against any Tustin police officer.
The medical examiner’s report indicated that the autopsy revealed that the Hispanic man tested positive for methamphetamine.
“I just hope this doesn’t happen to anyone again.. At that time I was very young, I was about 12 or 13 years old, and it was a very difficult time for me. I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through the same thing,” declared Camila, daughter of Luis Manuel García, in an interview with the ABC network.
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After the verdict, the city of Tustin issued a statement stating that police officers acted in self-defense.
“Upon review of this incident by the California Department of Justice, it was determined that Tustin police acted in self-defense and that the use of force against an armed suspect was justified,” he said.
City officials added that while they continued to express their condolences, They regretted the verdict of the lawsuit and that they would analyze their options for the future.
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