LOS ANGELES : Council Agrees to Settle 3 Suits Involving LAPD

The Los Angeles City Council agreed this week to pay $730,000 to settle three lawsuits involving the LAPD, including $348,000 to the parents of a burglary suspect who died fleeing from police.

According to police, Jorge Vargas died Dec. 9, 1990, in Lincoln Heights after his head struck the curb when an officer tackled him. But Vargas’ parents said that he died from a blow to the head with a flashlight. A jury decided in favor of the plaintiffs, and the city attorney’s office recommended paying the judgment.

In another case, Konstance Withers, who sued over alleged mistreatment during a traffic stop in 1990, will receive $275,000 to settle a $371,000 judgment against the city.

Two officers stopped Withers on Oct. 26, 1990, in the belief that she was driving a car that had been reported lost or stolen. Later, police learned the report was erroneous. Withers claimed that a policewoman sexually molested her during a body search, an allegation the officer denied. The plaintiff also alleged that the officer tried to choke her when she resisted getting into a police car.

Also, a $106,796 payout was approved for Detective Lynne Tingirides, who won a gender discrimination judgment after she was disciplined more severely than two male colleagues for driving drunk while off-duty. Tingirides sued because she was not returned to her previous assignment, unlike the two other detectives.