The city of Pasadena will pay the family of a mentally ill man who died during a brawl with Pasadena police a settlement of $1.5 million, a move approved by the City Council in a closed-door session in late March.
The family of 35-year-old Reginald Thomas Jr. filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city that argued the Pasadena Police Department used excessive force and then tried to hold back evidence to cover up the incident that left Thomas dead.
The Pasadena Star-News confirmed the settlement on Sunday evening.
Career Harper, the family's lawyer, told the LA Times that Pasadena officers were well aware of Thomas's mental illness. In a detailed account of the incident, the paper described Thomas “was repeatedly shocked with stun guns, battered with batons, and punched and kicked in the head.”
The Pasadena Star-News said the decision to settle the lawsuit came after closed City Council session three weeks before the case was scheduled for trial.