Man suing LA County for wrongfully detaining him after dangerous pursuit
Adrian Cruz says he still can't believe it.
"They pretty much beat the crap out of me," he said.
Cruz is suing Los Angeles County, claiming that deputies beat him up and wrongfully detained him during last week's dangerous high-speed pursuit. It spanned two counties and came to an end in Hacienda Heights, where Cruz was with his family in their white sedan at a stoplight at Gale Avenue and South Hacienda Boulevard.
"The cop slammed into [the suspect's] car, slammed into mine and they immediately start shooting," he said. "Not one warning to get out of the way."
Panicked, Cruz said he got out of the car to get his family away from the flying bullets.
"As I am doing so, I get mistaken for someone... they thought I was taking the car," he said. "They just start smashing me... They pretty much beat the crap out of me."
Cruz said deputies cuffed him and put him in the back of a cruiser, where he sat for over an hour. A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesperson said Cruz was wrongfully detained and mistaken for the suspect.
"I was basically telling them, 'Dude what the heck are you doing?'" he said. "I am just an innocent bystander. I am trying to get out of your guys' way to do your job."
Cruz plans to sue the county for $1.5 million because of what happened to him and his family, who watched in horror.
"As they were smashing me out, my son was trying his hardest to get to me," Cruz said.
His attorney says there are circumstances where officers act beyond the law and felt strongly this is one of these cases.
"You would expect them to come forward and say he really messed up," said attorney Greg Kirakosian. "We don't know why we used so much force on an individual that was just an innocent bystander."
While his injuries are healing, Cruz says the emotional scars for him are still very fresh. He wants justice not just for himself but for his family.
"I went off emotions and off of what I thought was right," said Cruz. "I still wouldn't have done anything different. I would have done the same thing."
Officials said it is L.A. county policy to not comment on pending litigation.
