Lawsuit: Lancaster Man Angel Mendez Shot 14 Times By Deputies, Loses a Leg

By Chris Vogel Fri., Jun. 17 2011 at 12:06 PM

Angel Mendez of Lancaster was shot 14 times.

LA County sheriff's deputies were the triggermen.

Mendez says he was fast asleep at his home with his girlfriend last October when suddenly a troop of officers burst into his room, guns blazing.

He says they didn't have a warrant or any reason to shoot him.

According to Mendez's federal lawsuit against LA County and Sheriff Lee Baca, the officers charged into Mendez's home without knocking or announcing their presence.

In addition to shooting Mendez more than a dozen times, the deputies also shot his girlfriend, Jennifer Garcia, in the back.

States the lawsuit:

At no time were [Mendez or Garcia] suspects in a criminal investigation, nor was there any probable cause to believe that they posed a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the deputies or others.

The deputies failed to provide [Mendez and Garcia] with any verbal warning prior to shooting them, nor was there adequate provocation, or immediate threat of death or serious physical injury to the deputies to provide ... the legal right to use deadly force.

Somehow, Mendez did survive the shooting. However, doctors had to amputate his leg.

Tags:

amputation, LA County, lawsuit, sheriff, shooting

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Ronb641

lancaster right now is bad. cops are everywhere. this is the first time in my 40 year life i have had to apply for food stamps. while i was there a cop gave me a ticket for no registration. my job has me down to three days a week. after rent and bills my ass is broke. so im struggling to put food on the table for my kids. and a cop is at the welfare offive handing out tickets to people who are hurting. what a great city i live in. what a joke. and i keep hearing that people are out to kill the mayor. hes an asshole but he dont deserve to be killed. but when u think you are god to this city, u better be ready for repurcussions. and he declared war to all gangbangers. doesnt he know that some people are born into the gangs. they dont have a choice at ten or fifteen when their mother, father, brothers and sisters are gangbangers. ive seen this happen in italian gangs, mexican gangs to biker gangs. its on tv now. mob wives. a little nine year old girl is happy her father is not a snitch. a nine year old. and here mother is happy for her. alredy supporting a gangster lifestyle at age nine. yeah these kids can change their mind but when they are underage they dont have much of a choice. i was at walmart the other day and the police were there harrasing people all over the parking lot. all i could think of was poor people who might just needed to get to the store for food for their kids. struggling. and theres the police. fucking more shit up. you people are destroyers of lives and families. you act as though you guys are better than everyone alse. when you are not. ive havnt called 911 ever in my forty years of living. you all have done nothing for me. i bet every one of those cops will be let off. its just the way it is. really i hope they all lose their jobs. cops project fear into this community. im scared of them and have no reason.