Man Seeks $500,000 for Shootout Stress
A neighbor whose house was accidentally fired on by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies during their standoff with gunman James Allen Beck has filed a $500,000 claim for damages, asserting that the county showed “deliberate indifference” to his safety.
Phil Lombardi and his wife cowered with their 2-day-old daughter on their bathroom floor during the Aug. 31 shootout between Beck, the deputies and agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Authorities were serving a warrant at Beck’s home for potential weapons violations when he began shooting at them. Beck and a deputy were killed in the melee, which ended when Beck’s house burned down.
The claim, filed in November, is for medical and general damages, which Lombardi said were to cover emotional distress.
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