The city of Keller has agreed to pay $ 200,000 to a man who was sprayed with pepper and arrested after recording a police officer pulling his son off because he made a wide right turn, according to the father’s lawyer. .
Marco Puente filed a lawsuit in federal court in Fort Worth last month against two Keller police officers who alleged excessive violence and illegal arrest during the Aug. 15 incident.
According to the body material of the officers, the son of Marco Puente, Dillon, was by ao. Blake Shimanek for a wide right turn.
Dillon Puente’s father soon appears in a separate vehicle at the scene and begins recording what is going on across the street.
That’s when Shimanek ordered another officer, Ankit Tomer, to arrest the father and give him pepper spray. Tomer was also mentioned in the lawsuit.
Both the father and the son were taken to jail, but police supervisors quickly dropped the charges after reviewing the case and deporting Shimanek to office.
Keller city council on Tuesday scheduled a special meeting to discuss a controversial police traffic stop and charges of excessive violence that led to a federal lawsuit.
Puentes attorney Scott Palmer said Sunday that both parties agreed to settle the case during a mediation session Friday when the city agreed to pay $ 200,000.
“The Puente family is delighted with this unfortunate and unnecessary situation behind them,” Palmer and attorney James Roberts said in a statement. “This settlement will fairly compensate Dillon and Marco.”
The statement attributed to police chief Brad Fortune that he had acted swiftly in “tackling the issues” in the case, but added: “it is disappointing that these officers are still employed by the Keller police station.”
Keller Mayor Armin Mizani confirmed Sunday that the mediation had taken place, but said he was awaiting the signing of the agreement by both sides.
The mayor did not want to confirm that the settlement amount was $ 200,000, but said that the city itself would be limited to a deductible amount of $ 5,000. The Texas Municipal League, which insures cities, will pay the rest, he said.
“The city plans to share details once everything is finalized,” Mizani said.
A city spokesman also noted that the agreement had not yet been finalized, but said: “The city is pleased that a mediated settlement agreement has been reached. ‘
According to the lawsuit, the sergeant targeted the younger Puente because he was Spanish and mistakenly believed he had drugs in his car.