Abdul Arian: $120 Million Lawsuit Filed in Case of Teen Shot by LAPD on Live TV
That $120 million legal claim against the city in the case of Abdul Arian, a 19-year-old who was fatally shot on live television by LAPD officers in April, is now a $120 million lawsuit.
Abdul Arian / Facebook
This after the city rejected the claim.
The suit, filed yesterday in L.A. Superior Court federal court, comes after the family's lawyer, Jeffrey M. Galen, says he obtained the coroner's toxicology report on Arian's body which, he states, shows the teen was not on any drugs:
The toxicology results revealed Abdul's system to be negative of each and every substance screened.
For those who watched that night, Arian behaved strangely and, as he exited his Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, the same kind of car used by cops, he appeared to crouch and aim his hands at pursuing officers in a "shooting stance."
However, he was unarmed as cops opened fire in the middle of the 101 freeway in Woodland Hills.
Officers allegedly fired 120 rounds at the teen and, according to Galen's summary of the coroner's report:
... Multiple gunshot wounds that perforated the unarmed teenagers body [include] his left upper arm, right hand, left flank area, right lower leg, left wrist, left lower leg, left forearm and to the left side of Abdul's head which passed through his skull and exited the right side of his head. The force of said bullet resulted in a portion of Abdul's right skull to be blown off. Also internal organs were punctured, his left lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, further bullets shattered bones in his spine, his skull and ribcage. The report also shows that Abdul was callously shot in the back by the LAPD.
A coroner's diagram shows that Arian was shot in the back by cops.
Suicide by cop? The LAPD stated that Arian called 911 operators during the chase and said:
"I've been arrested before for possession of destructive devices, I'm not afraid of the cops.""If they pull their guns, I'm gonna have to pull my gun out on them."
The president of the L.A. police union, Tyler Izen, said in April:
When a person decides to engage officers in a pursuit, refuses police orders to end the threat they are posing to the safety of officers and the public, tells the police that they have a gun, exits a vehicle and takes an aggressive shooting stance, extends their arms out and points an unknown object at the officers, they are subjecting themselves to the consequences of their actions, which may include being shot.
Galen says that the department has yet to release the tapes of Arian's 911 call.
Family members and supporters were enraged by the shooting, saying that cops could have used less-than-lethal weapons in order to subdue Arian.
Galen called the shooting ...
... the use of unnecessary, brutal, excessive Police force. Abdul was shot to death just a few hundred yards away from many major Southern Californian business and retail shopping centers. Since the shooting pictures have been revealed of stray bullets embedded into nearby office buildings and trees. A Porsche Car Dealership was also struck by bullets, puncturing holes in several cars. It is clear with their actions the LAPD showed little concern for their proximity to the public.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
Email to Friend
Write to Editor
Print Article
