The city of Keller agreed to pay $ 200,000 to a man who was sprayed with pepper and arrested after recording a police officer shooting his son for making a wide turn to the right, according to the father’s lawyer.
Marco Puente filed a lawsuit in federal court in Fort Worth last month against two Keller police officers accusing him of excessive force and illegal arrest in the August 15 incident.
According to the officers’ camera footage, Marco Puente’s son, Dillon, was shot by the sergeant. Blake Shimanek because he made a wide turn to the right.
Dillon Puente’s father soon appeared on the scene in a separate vehicle and began recording video of what was happening across the street.
Shimanek then ordered another officer, Ankit Tomer, to arrest his father and throw pepper at him. Tomer was also named in the trial.
Both the father and the son were taken to prison, but police supervisors quickly dropped the charges after examining the case and Shimanek was demoted to officer.
Keller City Council scheduled a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss a controversial halt to police traffic and excessive force complaints that led to a federal lawsuit.
Scott Palmer, a lawyer for Puentes, said Sunday that both sides agreed to settle the case during a mediation session on Friday, when the city agreed to pay $ 200,000.
“The Puente family is pleased to have this unfortunate and unnecessary situation,” Palmer and attorney James Roberts said in a statement. “This solution will compensate Dillon and Marco fairly.”
The statement attributed it to Police Chief Brad Fortune that he acted quickly in “solving the problems” in the case, but added that “it is disappointing that these officers are still employed at the Keller Police Department.”
Keller Mayor Armin Mizani confirmed on Sunday that mediation had taken place, but said he was waiting for the agreement to be signed by both sides.
The mayor declined to confirm that the settlement amount was $ 200,000, but said the city itself would be limited to paying a $ 5,000 deductible. The Texas City League, which provides cities, will pay the rest, he said.
“The city intends to share details once they are all completed,” Mizani said.
A city spokeswoman also said the deal had not been finalized, but said: “The city is pleased that a mediated settlement agreement has been reached.”
The lawsuit claimed that the sergeant was targeting young Puente because he was Hispanic and unjustly believed he had drugs in his car.