Culver City’s father’s family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit after his father was shot and killed in the back by police while fleeing a car chase.
Guillermo Medina’s wife and children, along with their lawyers, announced the lawsuit on Tuesday, saying Medina did not carry a weapon and there was no immediate threat of death or bodily harm when he was shot last December 18. According to plaintiffs, officers also did not give him orders before he was shot and knew he was experiencing a mental health crisis.
“The sudden loss of my husband completely devastated my family and changed our lives. He was taken away from us when what he really needed was help.” He didn’t deserve to be shot in the back, he didn’t deserve to die in the street.”
According to the complaint, Adriana Medina called the Culver City Police Department around 1:00 a.m. on December 18 and slammed the window while her husband, who had paranoid schizophrenia, was going through a mental health crisis. claiming to have reported that he was hitting At the time, Medina was distraught on her medication and her wife sought her help, said her family attorney James DeSimone.
Adriana Medina objected Police claim officers were called in for a domestic violence incident. She said her husband was unarmed and didn’t have a gun.Police said he threatened her with a gun at the time.
According to DeSimone, despite knowing he was in danger, responding officers approached Medina in a way that he fled his home and led the police in a car chase.
The complaint states that an unnamed officer said he would stay home with his family until “the case is closed.” Adriana Medina said she repeatedly told officers over an hour to use the police radio to inform her colleagues that her husband was in danger, but he I didn’t.
The chase ended when Medina crashed the SUV and disabled the vehicle. Then he went outside and tried to escape. Surveillance video of the shooting showed Medina fleeing. He didn’t look like he was going fast, but it was unclear what had happened just before. The video also had no audio.
DeSimone said Medina was “struggling” by jogging slowly. In a video released by his lawyer, Medina enters frame and falls quickly onto the pavement after being shot. As the officer slowly approaches him, he spreads his arms and rolls onto his back.
Witnesses said the police did not give any orders to Medina and one of them opened fire, and multiple times. Instead of providing immediate medical attention, police officers handcuffed Medina and left him on the ground for more than five minutes before offering assistance, the attorney said.
Paramedics eventually showed up and tried to save Medina’s life, but he sprawled onto the sidewalk and died.
Medina’s wife said the offer wasn’t the first to inform the family of the man’s death, adding that her children found out about it through the Internet.
“Joshua came up to me, his youngest son, and said, ‘What do you mean by putting a white sheet over you?’ I had to explain it. Culver City PD, you should be ashamed of yourself,” said Adriana Medina.
The lawsuit also alleges that the City of Culver and its police department fostered a culture of excessive force by failing to properly investigate incidents of force and to discipline officers who used excessive force. claims.
The city said it could not comment due to “pending criminal investigations, pending claims, and potential litigation.” Culver Police Department Sergeant. Eddie Bascaron has confirmed to NBC4 that the officer who shot Medina has not been suspended.
Bascaron added that the station plans to release a “video of the serious incident” and a transcript of Adriana Medina’s call to police in the near future.
Medina’s family is seeking criminal charges against the officers involved in his murder. They demand a jury trial and unspecified punitive and compensatory damages.
His family remembered Medina as a loving and hardworking father who loved his children and had a great sense of humor. He was the one who took the kids to school and to soccer practices.Despite his back pain, he coached his youngest son’s soccer team, was also a referee, and was unable to spend time with the children. I made it.
After cooking for the children, Medina worked as a truck driver at night to support the family, his wife said.
“He was mentally ill and it wasn’t his fault. What he needed was help, not death,” said an emotional Adriana Medina.
