3 Property Owners Reject City’s Raid Settlement

Three owners of property damaged during the “Dalton Street incident,” a police raid on four apartments in South-Central Los Angeles, have rejected the city’s offers of $500,000 and $50,000 to settle two lawsuits in the case.

The offers were made last week and rejected Monday, said Steve Yagman, attorney for Henry and Cheri Lang, whose four-unit building was heavily damaged during the August, 1988, raid by 80 Los Angeles police officers, and Lillian D’Antignac, whose home was also damaged.

Two of the raided apartments were in the Langs’ building in the 3900 block of South Dalton Street. D’Antignac’s house next door was damaged when officers threw a vacuum cleaner and other objects into it, Yagman said.

Police, who were searching for drugs, originally blamed the damage on gang members. Officials admitted later, however, that the officers were responsible. In January, the city settled for $3 million a lawsuit filed by 55 other people.