City of Richmond: $150,000 to settle lawsuit against Police
The city of Richmond has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a lawsuit accusing police of using excessive force and engaging in racially abusive behavior during a clash with Cinco de Mayo partygoers in 2002. The lawsuit, filed last year in U.S. District Court in Oakland, said Richmond police trampled a Mexican flag, assaulted bystanders and arrested people who defied officers' orders to leave. The suit said an officer struck Latino activist Andres Soto of Richmond in the back with a police flashlight after Soto had submitted to police officers. The case was settled Tuesday night during a closed session of the City Council, officials said. [
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