LOS ANGELES : Man, Shot by Police, Is Awarded $675,000

The City Council on Wednesday awarded $675,000 to a San Fernando Valley man who was paralyzed after being hit by a shotgun blast fired by one of two female police officers who tried to detain him in 1988.

The action settles a $10-million federal Civil Rights Act lawsuit filed against the city by Jaime Cardona, 29, of North Hills. Cardona’s lawsuit alleged he was wrongfully shot by Officer Peggy Moseley.

Two retired judges advised the city it would lose the Cardona case if it went to trial, according to a report by the city attorney’s office. During a trial, expert witnesses for the plaintiff would testify that the officers had no justification to use deadly force and that a “shotgun was the wrong weapon to use in this situation,” the report added.

Cardona was struck by a 12-gauge shotgun blast fired by Moseley on March 23, 1988, as Moseley and Officer Jayme Weaver sought to question him after receiving a complaint that a man had been brandishing a gun. The officers said Cardona, who was not armed, tried to grab Weaver’s gun. Witnesses said Cardona did not make threatening moves toward the officers.