Video of Placer County jail guards beating inmate released; $1.4-million payout OK'd
A federal judge has approved the release of a video showing Placer County authorities brutally beating and shocking a mentally ill inmate with a stun gun, topping off a two-year legal battle between the man and county officials accused of covering up the abuse.
The judge on Thursday also approved a $1.4-million settlement to be paid to inmates in Placer County jails who accused authorities of using excessive force, said attorney Mark Merin. The lawsuit was filed in August 2017, following the arrest of three county law enforcement officials who were investigated after the video was brought to the sheriff’s attention.
Merin said 15,000 inmates were eligible to make claims as part of the class-action suit. More than 200 will be compensated after attorneys evaluated 458 claims.
Lead plaintiff Beau Bangert, who appears in the recently released video, will receive $50,000 as part of the suit in addition to $250,000 he already received in a separate settlement, Merin said.
Read more: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-placer-county-jail-abuse-video-surfaces-20190329-story.html