Current:Home > ScamsFamily of man killed by SUV on interstate after being shocked by a Taser reaches $5M settlement-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Family of man killed by SUV on interstate after being shocked by a Taser reaches $5M settlement
View Date:2025-01-11 03:07:19
DENVER (AP) — The family of a man who was hit and killed by an SUV on a highway after a sheriff’s deputy shocked him with a Taser has reached a $5 million settlement with a Colorado county in his death, lawyers and officials said Friday.
Larimer County Deputy Lorenzo Lujan used the Taser on Brent Thompson after Thompson ran away as the deputy was trying to arrest him on Feb. 18, 2023. Lujan was not criminally charged, but when 8th District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin announced that decision last year, he said that Lujan’s use of the Taser showed “poor judgment.”
The law firm representing Thompson’s family, Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC, said the settlement with Larimer County reflects the “immense wrong” done by the deputy.
“Any reasonable person, let alone a trained law enforcement officer, should have known that tasing someone on I-25 in the dark of night posed an extreme risk of death or serious injury,” the firm said in a statement, adding that Thompson was pulled over for expired license plates.
The Larimer County commissioners said in a statement that Lujan deployed the Taser to try to prevent Thompson from running onto the interstate. They said they agreed to the settlement largely because of the advice of their insurers.
Sheriff John Feyen expressed his sympathies for Thompson’s family but also said that deputies have to make split second decisions.
“We will continue to use this incident as a case study for internal discussions about complex decision-making, dynamic situations, safety priorities, and the consequences of action or inaction,” Feyen said in a statement.
Lujan is still working for the department on patrol, sheriff’s spokesperson Kate Kimble said. An investigation found he did not violate sheriff’s office policies and he was not disciplined, she said.
According to the district attorney’s 2023 letter summarizing the investigation into Thompson’s death, Thompson pulled off at an exit on Interstate 25 after Lujan turned on his patrol car’s lights. But as Lujan tried to arrest Thompson, who allegedly gave a false name and did not have a driver’s license, he ran down an embankment toward the highway.
Body camera footage showed Thompson was walking onto the interstate from the shoulder when Lujan deployed the Taser, and another officer said he saw Thompson fall in the northbound side of the roadway, McLaughlin’s letter said. The second officer then saw approaching headlights and waved his flashlight to warn that vehicle to stop.
The man driving the Ford Explorer, with his wife and three children inside, said he saw something in the road and two people standing along the highway. He said he tried to steer away from the people and hit something in the road.
Lujan, who was working overtime, told investigators he wanted to detain Thompson so he did not pose a threat to himself or drivers on the interstate.
However, the letter noted that he looked for approaching vehicles about 20 seconds before deploying the Taser, but not right before using it about 15 seconds later, calling that “a clear lapse in judgement.”
veryGood! (3735)
Related
- Who's hosting 'SNL' tonight? Musical guest, start time, where to watch Nov. 9 episode
- Electric Car Bills in Congress Seen As Route to Oil Independence
- A new lawsuit is challenging Florida Medicaid's exclusion of transgender health care
- Whatever happened to the new no-patent COVID vaccine touted as a global game changer?
- Arkansas governor unveils $102 million plan to update state employee pay plan
- Science Teachers Respond to Climate Materials Sent by Heartland Institute
- 24-Hour Deal: Save 50% On the Drybar Interchangeable Curling Iron With 15.2K+ Sephora Loves
- The unresponsive plane that crashed after flying over restricted airspace was a private jet. How common are these accidents?
- After entire police force resigns in small Oklahoma town, chief blames leaders, budget cuts
- TSA expands controversial facial recognition program
Ranking
- Demure? Brain rot? Oxford announces shortlist for 2024 Word of the Year: Cast your vote
- Judge Elizabeth Scherer allowed her emotions to overcome her judgment during Parkland school shooting trial, commission says
- In Alaska’s Thawing Permafrost, Humanity’s ‘Library Is on Fire’
- The Truth About Queen Camilla's Life Before She Ended Up With King Charles III
- Jack Del Rio leaving Wisconsin’s staff after arrest on charge of operating vehicle while intoxicated
- Below Deck Alum Kate Chastain Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby
- Summer House: Martha's Vineyard Stars Explain the Vacation Spot's Rich Black History
- Judge agrees to reveal backers of George Santos' $500,000 bond, but keeps names hidden for now
Recommendation
-
Mike Williams Instagram post: Steelers' WR shades Aaron Rodgers 'red line' comments
-
Why Lisa Vanderpump Is Closing Her Famed L.A. Restaurant Pump for Good
-
Cardi B and Offset's Kids Kulture and Wave Look So Grown Up in New Family Video
-
TikToker and Dad of 3 Bobby Moudy Dead by Suicide at Age 46
-
Roy Haynes, Grammy-winning jazz drummer, dies at 99: Reports
-
Electric Car Bills in Congress Seen As Route to Oil Independence
-
Volkswagen relaunches microbus as electric ID. Buzz
-
A new lawsuit is challenging Florida Medicaid's exclusion of transgender health care