The family of a mentally ill man who was fatally shot by Long Beach police officers in December has filed a $20 million claim for damages--the first step toward a lawsuit against the city's police department.
Mharloun Saycon, 39, was shot by police at an arcade on Dec. 14 of last year. Police had responded to calls of a man waving a weapon and, when they arrived, they found Saycon with a knife in his hand. According to officers, Saycon refused to drop his weapon even after a taser and baton was used. Shots were ultimately fired and Saycon was killed.
At the time of the incident, Saycon was being treated for bipolar-schizophrenia and was known to relapse from time to time. His family believes the situation could have been handled differently and says officers should have attempted to get him to a hospital for psychiatric treatment. In addition to the $20 million claim, they are calling for the retraining of officers to better equip them in dealing with mentally ill individuals.
Read more about the claim for damages here.
Image Credit: Flickr User diversey, https://flic.kr/p/4NPfdS via (CC BY 2.0)