Federal judge determined that there was excessive use of force; city authorities evaluate to appeal the decision
The late Fermín Valenzuela with his son Vincent.
Photo:
Courtesy / Valenzuela Family
This week, a federal judge in The Angels determined that the Anaheim Police made a excessive use of force against Fermín Vincent Valenzuela32-year-old Hispanic who was strangled by three officers three years ago. For the damages caused, the judge ordered the city to indemnify the family with $13.2 million dollars.
"The police violated the rights of Valenzuela," the judge said, when he was submitted on July 2, 2016. Valenzuela died of suffocation eight days after the incident, after officers Woojin Jun, Daniel Wolfe and Daniel González applied unconstitutionally a deadly maneuver, as just determined.
The judgment of the judge will favor the two orphaned minors that Valenzuela left: Ximena, who was 5 years old at the time of the events, and Vincent, with 9 years old. Patricia Gonzalez, mother of the little ones, and Andrea Valenzuela, sister of the victim, decided to file the lawsuit after the death of Valenzuela.
For their part, the authorities in the city of Anaheim said in a statement their disagreement with the verdict because, they said, "our officers responded to a call from a family asking for help and took reasonable measures." They are even evaluating whether they will appeal to the judge's decision.
On July 2, 2016, the police received the report of a suspect who was following a woman. Fermín Vincent Valenzuela was inside a laundry when the officers stopped him. In September 2017, the orange county had determined that the police officers involved had not committed illegal acts; however, with this decision the judge reverses the decision.
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