By Thomas Watkins
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The family of an autistic man who was shot and killed by a Los Angeles police officer was awarded $1.7 million Wednesday in compensatory damages.
The award came after a jury found that former officer Joseph Cruz had used excessive force, and his conduct was reckless, oppressive or malicious in the March 2008 shooting of Mohammad Usman Chaudhry.
The lawsuit was filed against the city of Los Angeles, the Police Department, Cruz and others in 2009.
Testimony showed Chaudhry, 21, had been lying beneath a balcony behind a Hollywood apartment building when Cruz and his partner approached to see what he was doing.
The encounter began amicably, with Cruz and Chaudhry chatting about various topics, but moments later Cruz shot Chaudhry after he said he had pulled a knife and lunged at him, according to testimony.
A police probe largely cleared Cruz after the shooting, but Chaudhry's family said their relative was not violent and they claimed Cruz had planted the knife on his body.
A message left with Cruz's attorney Peter Ferguson was not immediately returned.
Family attorney Olu Orange said $1 million in compensatory damages was awarded to Chaudhry's estate and $350,000 to each of his parents.
"This was never about money for them. It was about the truth of who their son was and the love they shared with him," Orange said. "They are most happy about the fact that honor has been restored to the memory of their son and to their family name."
City attorney spokesman John Franklin declined to comment.
Cruz was fired from the Police Department in an unrelated incident for allowing a prisoner to escape and lying about what happened, court documents state.
Orange also sued the coroner's office claiming it took weeks to notify the Chaudhrys of the death, but that claim was dismissed by the judge. Orange said he would appeal the dismissal.
Published: Fri, Jan 28, 2011
