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Originally Posted by OC Register
Riverside County is paying $900,000 to the family of an unarmed Long Beach man who was shot to death by deputies in Perris at the end of a wild traffic pursuit in 2014.
The payment will settle a federal wrongful-death lawsuit filed by attorney Dale K. Galipo on behalf of Huntington Beach resident Teri Jecmen, the mother of Aaron John Forgash, 38.
The county does not admit fault in the shooting by deputies Michael Heuer and Robert Powe.
“The parties understand and agree that payment of the foregoing settlement sum is conditioned upon … the understanding that the purpose of this settlement agreement is to buy peace for the defendants,” the settlement document says.
Jecmen said by phone in April that she wanted to discuss the settlement at a future date. She did not call back, however. The settlement states that if either party is contacted by the media, the response must be limited to “The matter has resolved. Additional information about the case may be obtained from the court’s public record.”
The money is being distributed to Jecmen, Forgash’s son Andrew Forgash and a second child, identified in the settlement as “J.A.”
J.A. will receive 54 monthly payments of $800 starting Jan. 30 and ending June 30, 2022; 48 monthly payments of $500 starting July 15, 2022 and ending June 15, 2026; $20,000 in July 2022; $10,000 in July 2025; $30,000 in July 2031; $40,000 in July 2034; and $87,120 in July 2039, according to the agreement.
The incident began when an employee of Home Depot in Corona reported a man trying to purchase a welder, gift cards and other items with a fraudulent check using fake identification, according to the District Attorney’s Office’s 502-page report.
Forgash fled the store. When officers tried to stop his minivan, Forgash sped off east on Cajalco Road, cutting through Eagle Glen Golf Course in Corona, bouncing through a sand trap and scattering golfers.
The chase, which sheriff’s deputies joined, ended with Forgash crashing in the 1500 block of Palma Bonita Lane in Perris. A witness said Forgash ran toward her car and shouted for her to get out. She refused, and Forgash went back toward his minivan as Heuer arrived, the report said.
Forgash then unsuccessfully tried to run through a gate, Heuer told investigators.
Forgash then reached into his waistband, Heuer said, and the deputy fired “five or six times.” Forgash fell but got up and ran toward an occupied garage. Heuer and Powe then both fired.
Investigators found a folding knife in one of Forgash’s pockets and a stolen gun in a minivan he had rented using a false identification, according to the report. The coroner discovered shattered glass pipes and a white crystal-like substance in a baggie in his underwear. Tests showed Forgash had ingested methamphetamine.
The DA’s report cleared the deputies of criminal wrongdoing. The Sheriff’s Department, which has never explained why the deputies fired despite repeated inquiries from this news organization, declined to discuss whether the shooting was within department policy or directly say whether any disciplinary action was taken, citing privacy regulations.
“Appropriate action was taken,” a sheriff’s email said.
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