Parents of Man Killed by Police File Lawsuit
The family of a man who was killed by police following a car chase filed a federal lawsuit against the Westminster and Orange police departments Monday, alleging that officers violated his civil rights.
The lawsuit, filed at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, also accuses Westminster Police Chief James Cook and Orange Police Chief John R. Robertson of failure to train and supervise their officers, who on Feb. 14 shot Hong Il Kim, 28, of Buena Park.
Kim’s parents, Sunim and Yong Jae Kim who filed the lawsuit, also allege that officers “without legal provocation, used excessive deadly force . . . shooting him at least six times.”
Cook and Robertson both declined comment Monday.
Rodney Chai, Kim’s brother-in-law, also declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The incident began when a Westminster officer tried to pull Kim over for making an illegal turn. Police pursued Kim to a shopping center parking lot in Orange, where officers hemmed in Kim’s vehicle. As Kim drove his vehicle forward in the direction of a wall, officers opened fire.
Police maintained that the shooting was justified because Kim was endangering the lives of the officers.
Kim’s family seeks unspecified compensatory and other damages.
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