Fatal Shooting by Officer Deemed Reasonable Force

A federal court jury took less than two hours to decide that an LAPD officer used reasonable force in the December 1997 shooting death of a West Hills man who tried to ram his way through rush-hour traffic while being pursued by police.

The verdict was read Monday.

Jose Mendoza, 26, of West Hills, was shot once in the head after ramming nine cars in a clogged freeway underpass on Canoga Avenue in Woodland Hills and steering his vehicle directly toward Officer Timothy Olsen, said Deputy City Atty. Cory Brente.

Mendoza was trying to flee from officers who had stopped him for a routine traffic violation, Brente said.

His parents, Ramiro and Delphina Mendoza, brought the lawsuit against Olsen, who shot Mendoza, contending in U.S. District Court that Olsen used excessive force in the death of their son.

Represented by Marian Yagman and Joseph Reichmann, the Mendozas asked for $3 million and an an unspecified amount of punitive damages against Olsen.

Mendoza led police in a 20-minute slow-speed chase through surface streets on the western edge of the San Fernando Valley, ending up at the Canoga Avenue underpass of the Ventura Freeway, where he crashed head-on into a Toyota, Brente said.

He then rammed several more cars, as Olsen ran alongside.

Mendoza made a U-turn and was attempting to run over the officer when he was shot, Brente said.

Trial testimony showed that Mendoza, who was on probation from a prior felony narcotics conviction, had cocaine in his system at the time of the shooting, the attorney said.