Jurors Award $6 Million in Wrongful Death Suit
An Alhambra couple whose son died of a cerebral hemorrhage after spending almost two hours in the city jail has been awarded $6 million in their wrongful death suit against the Alhambra Police Department.
Jan and Janina Serwacki said their 17-year-old son, Alexander, suffered a seizure on a city street March 27, 1984. But officers suspected that the high school sophomore was under the influence of PCP and arrested him.
By the time he was taken to a hospital, he was in a coma. An autopsy found no evidence of drugs in his system, said the couple’s attorney, Bruce A. Broillet. A 12-woman jury deliberated one hour in Alhambra Superior Court on Thursday before finding the Police Department negligent.
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