[laws are threats backed by Force. At the end of a chain of threats is Govt Violence] Suit Claims Slow Driving Latino Man Posed No Threat But When He Refused to Pull Over Torrance Cops Shot Him 23X
government is a coercive institution. As these examples illustrate, commands are often enforced with threats to issue further commands, yet that cannot be all there is to it. At the end of the chain must come a threat that the violator literally cannot defy. The system as a whole must be anchored by a non-voluntary intervention, a harm that the state can impose regardless of the individual’s choices.
From [HERE] and [HERE] The father of a Latino man fatally shot by Torrance police in 2017 is suing the city for wrongful death, alleging his son was shot more than 20 times at the end of a vehicle pursuit even though he posed no threat.
Victor Reyes' Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit also alleges battery civil rights violations in the killing of his offspring, 44-year-old Michael Lopez of San Gabriel. The complaint was brought Nov. 9 and seeks unspecified damages. The lawsuit accuses the city of a “practice of inaction and an attitude of indifference toward soaring numbers of excessive force” incidents by the Torrance Police Department.
Lopez, who was unarmed, died on Oct. 14, 2017, after being shot in the 2800 block of Sepulveda Boulevard after police used a PIT maneuver to end a slow-speed pursuit, the suit states.
Torrance police spotted Lopez, who was driving a green Ford Ranger and was believed to be under the influence, and tried to pull him over about 2 a.m., according to a news release. Lopez refused to stop, and police followed him as he slowly fled from them.
While the chase was in progress, Lopez did not hit any pedestrians or vehicles, nor did he present any imminent danger to anyone, the suit states.
Police twice tried to stop Lopez by hitting the back of his truck in an effort to send it into a spin, a tactic known as a Pursuit Intervention Technique, or a PIT maneuver. The second attempt ended in the 2800 block of Sepulveda Boulevard, where police shot Lopez. [MORE]
The suit alleges officers used excessive force by shooting Lopez at least 23 times. The complaint further accuses the city and Police Chief Eve Irvine of failing to properly train the officers on how to use proper levels of force as well as condoning the filing of false police reports and the planting of evidence to cover up misconduct.