San Jose reaches $700,000 settlement with man hit with police batons during DUI stop
SAN JOSE — Attorneys for the City of San Jose have reached a $700,000 settlement with a man who filed a federal excessive-force lawsuit against three San Jose police officers who struck him with batons during a 2015 DUI stop.
The settlement, which goes before the City Council for approval Tuesday, fulfills a federal jury award to San Jose resident Eliel Paulino after ruling in his favor in July.
According to the federal civil complaint and the City Attorney’s Office, around 2 a.m. on Aug. 16, 2015, Paulino was driving in San Jose when he was pulled over for a vehicle code violation. Paulino’s attorney contends that it was for not having a front-license-plate light.
The city states in its settlement notice that three officers — Marco Cruz, Gerardo Silva and Gurbaksh Sohal — “were required to use force while investigating (Paulino) for driving under the influence of alcohol,” and that Paulino “received more than a dozen baton strikes in his upper arm area as police officers tried to release his arms from under his body as he laid face-down on the ground after falling while he was being taken into custody.”
Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/08/25/san-jose-to-pay-700000-to-man-hit-with-police-batons-during-dui-stop/
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