Two brothers critically injured after their car was struck by an LAPD patrol car in Encino in June have filed a negligence lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and the LAPD, alleging the officer who was driving was needlessly speeding at 80 mph just before the impact.
Stephen and Richard Paper, 74 and 76, were in a Toyota Camry that was broadsided by the LAPD cruiser traveling southbound on Balboa Boulevard as the brothers made a left turn to go west on Burbank Boulevard.
“What makes this crash so ironic and stupid is that this officer at the time was assigned to patrol this area for street racing. He was part of the street racing task force," said attorney Robert S. Glassman, who represents the Paper brothers in their suit.
An LAPD traffic collision investigation report blamed the officer, Jason C. Stevenson, for causing the crash that happened just before 8 p.m. on June 4, 2024.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
"The primary cause of the crash is Party 1 (Jason Stevenson) in violation of 22350 of the California Vehicle Code, unsafe speed," wrote the LAPD collision investigator.
Glassman said data extracted from the police car's event recorder showed the patrol car was traveling at 80 mph just before the crash and recorded the speed at the moment of the impact at 55 mph.
The LAPD collision report noted that had the officer been driving at the posted speed limit, which was 45 mph, "this crash would not have occurred," as there would have been enough time for the brothers to have turned through the intersection.
The LAPD said in a statement issued a day after the wreck before the investigation was completed that the officer was trying to catch another speeding car when the crash happened.
"A street racing task force unit assigned to Valley Traffic Division heard a vehicle with loud exhaust and then observed the vehicle speeding southbound on Balboa Boulevard," the statement said.
The Department declined to comment on the specific allegations in the lawsuit Friday, citing its policy of not discussing pending civil litigation.
Glassman said the brothers led active lives before they suffered catastrophic physical injuries in the wreck, adding the men are still undergoing in-patient care.
He said he believed this collision was emblematic of the danger caused by police officers exceeding the speed limit.
“He doesn’t have his lights and sirens on. I can’t think of a scenario where this is going to be appropriate,” Glassman said.
The I-Team reported last year that in recent years nearly a quarter of LAPD car chases led to collisions, and the people most often injured were, "third parties," meaning members of the public unrelated to the police action.
