Family Files $120M Claim Against City For Death Of Unarmed Teen
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The family of a teenager armed with just a cell phone who was shot to death by Los Angeles Police officers at the end of a police pursuit have filed a $120 million claim against the city.
The claim was filed Monday by an attorney representing the family of 19-year-old Abdul Arian, who was unarmed when he got out of his car at the end of a police pursuit on April 11 that ended on the 101 Freeway in Woodland Hills.
An investigation subsequently found that Arian was shot by approximately 120 rounds by eight police officers. The claim, according to a news release, equates to $1 million per bullet in compensation for the grieving family.
Approximately 100 relatives and friends of Arian gathered to protest the shooting outside the Devonshire police station in Northridge Monday evening.
"They should have used non-lethal rounds to subdue him, not to use guns and shoot him," relative Nazrin Sharifee said.
Los Angeles Police Protective League president Tyler Izen said it is officers' jobs to protect the public and themselves.
"First of all, he said he had a gun. You don't use rubber bullets against someone with a gun. Second of all, we hear the comments about placing shots in legs and feet and arms, and, many times, police officers are killed even after wounding -- and even mortally wounding -- suspects who are shooting at them," Izen said.
Arian reportedly hoped to be a police officer, but was afraid of them, the teen's uncle told KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou.
Footage from Sky 9 shows Arian running away from his car after stopping, but pausing to point something at police.
A partial transcript of Arian's 911 call said, "I have a gun. 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 audio of the 911 call has not been released.
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