The family of a knife-wielding Whittier-area man shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies in 2019 is poised to receive $2.2 million from Los Angeles County to settle a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force and negligence.
Earlier this week, the Los Angeles County Claims Board recommended that the county Board of Supervisors grant the payout on behalf of Marco Antonio Vazquez Jr., 37, who was struck with 11 bullets fired by deputies during a purported mental crisis.
Information was not immediately available regarding when the supervisors will vote on the recommendation.
The lawsuit, filed by Vazquez’s family in U.S. District Court in 2020, alleged deputies failed to deescalate the encounter.
According to the suit, Vazquez, who was schizophrenic and frequently had paranoid ideations, called the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on the evening of Oct. 6, 2019, to report that his family was in danger at their home on Rexall Avenue in unincorporated West Whittier. Vazquez’s wife also phoned the department, stating her husband was mentally ill and requesting assistance.
In response to the 911 calls, three deputies went to the home, where they used a loudspeaker to order the family to leave with their hands up while Vazquez walked in and out of the dwelling, smoking a cigarette, the suit stated. About an hour later, the deputies determined Vazquez was not a danger to himself, did not warrant a psychiatric examination or mental health hold, and left the home.
About 90 minutes after the deputies departed, Vazquez told his family he was suicidal, prompting his daughter to call 911, the suit states. Deputies returned to the home, allegedly with their weapons drawn.
The lawsuit alleges the deputies did not properly assess Vazquez’s mental state, failed to deescalate the situation, and did not develop a tactical plan. Vazquez’s family also alleges he did not make any aggressive moves or lunge toward the deputies, who shot him 11 times.
About 75 community members and relatives of Vazquez marched in March 2021 from his home to the Pico Rivera sheriff’s station, where they held a rally.
“We want to bring my husband’s story to the community,” Vazquez’s wife, Christina, said at the time. “Had they taken my husband in and hospitalized him, the incident would not have occurred.”
The Sheriff’s Department not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the settlement or the shooting.
According to an LASD investigative report, when a sergeant and two deputies arrived at Vazquez’s home, they found him standing in the driveway holding a large knife and screaming at family members. He allegedly used the knife to slash at a woman who was standing near him.
The deputies ordered Vazquez repeatedly to drop the knife, but he refused and advanced toward them, according to the report. Each of the deputies fired their weapons at Vazquez.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office determined there was insufficient evidence to show that the deputies did not act lawfully in self-defense when they shot Vazquez.