$1.79-Million Payment in Brutality Case OKd
Deciding not to appeal a jury verdict, the City Council voted Wednesday to pay $1.79 million to the mother of an Arleta man who was left brain-damaged after a confrontation with police.
On Sept. 1, 2000, police tried to stop Peter Mares, 31, for a curfew violation at David Gonzales Park in Pacoima, but he ran.
A federal jury awarded the damages, concluding that Officer Anthony Daniel committed battery. Two residents testified that they saw Mares lying face down when Daniel yanked his neck backward and used a chokehold.
Medical experts testified that Mares has remained in a “persistent vegetative state.”
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