Jury Awards $51 Million to Family of Inland Empire Man Shot and Killed by Deputies in 2023
Attorneys said the jury found deputies liable on all counts after a chase that ended in a fatal shooting and cited a motorist video.
- On Thursday, a federal jury awarded $51.8 million to the family of Antonio Garza Jr., a man killed by San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputies in 2023, marking what attorneys believe is the largest such judgment in California history.
- Deputies pursued Garza for 35 minutes on February 5, 2023, after investigating an arson call, before ending the chase in Palm Springs where officers shot him 12 times.
- Jurors found SBCSD Deputies Nicholas Kridner 38% liable and Bill Abernathy 30% liable, while the jury applied $10 million in punitive damages after a private autopsy contradicted deputy testimony.
- Matilde Garza called on California Attorney General Rob Bonta to pursue criminal charges against Kridner and Abernathy, saying, "This doesnt bring back my son, but finally, the truth is out about who my son was andwhat the deputies did to him."
- Victoria Velasquez, Antonio's sister, expressed hope the verdict brings attention to mental illness issues, emphasizing an "urgent need for concrete policy changes to ensure that others are not subjected to the nightmare our family has endured.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Jury awards $51M to family of IE man killed by deputies on Palm Springs freeway
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - A federal jury awarded an Inland Empire family over $51 million for the deadly shooting of their family member by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. It happened in February of 2023 after sheriff's deputies responded to an arson call. The attorney for Antonio Garza's family says he was legally burning personal items on his property. Garza fled when deputies arrived, leading to the 35-minute pursuit towar…
Los Angeles Times
Lodinews.comSan Bernardino County owes $51 million to mother of mentally-ill man killed by deputies, jury says
A jury has awarded the mother of a man killed by San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies more than $51 million in a federal civil trial.
Jury awards $51 million to family of Inland Empire man shot and killed by deputies in 2023
The family of Antonio Garza sued the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for wrongful death, claiming Garza suffered from mental illness, saying the deputies chased him into the desert and shot him multiple times after he had committed no crime.
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