The father of a man who died after being shot more than 20 times by Torrance police at the end of a pursuit in 2017 settled his wrongful death lawsuit against the city, court papers obtained Wednesday show.
Lawyers for Victor Reyes, the father of the late Michael Lopez of San Gabriel, filed a request for dismissal of his suit with Torrance Superior Court Judge Deirdre Hill on June 6. No terms were divulged and plaintiff's attorney Michael Carrillo declined to comment.
In their court papers, defense attorneys stated that the officers used "reasonable and lawful force'' and denied any liability on the part of the city.
The lawsuit -- which was filed in November 2018 in Los Angeles Superior Court and later transferred to Torrance Superior Court -- stated that Lopez, 44, was unarmed and died after being shot in the 2800 block of Sepulveda Boulevard on Oct. 14, 2017.
Police said they used a PIT maneuver to end a slow-speed pursuit.
While the chase was in progress, Lopez did not hit any pedestrians or vehicles, nor did he present any imminent danger to anyone, according to the lawsuit, which alleged officers used excessive force by shooting Lopez at least 23 times.
The complaint further accused the city and Police Chief Eve Irvine of failing to properly train the officers on how to use proper levels of force, and of condoning the filing of false police reports and the planting of evidence to cover up misconduct.
