Cathedral City has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who suffered a broken ankle when a police officer repeatedly hit him with a baton during his arrest — a use of force that the city’s own internal investigation ruled unjustified.
Cathedral City has not said how much it will pay Jose Lenor Garcia, and The Desert Sun has filed a request for the amount.
The settlement was reached recently, according to a notice filed in federal court March 22. It was on the city council’s Wednesday, March 25 closed session agenda. After the closed-door discussion, City Attorney Eric Vail said the council heard a briefing and gave direction, but there was no other “reportable action” regarding the matter.
On Nov. 21, 2020, an officer attempted to pull over Garcia for a traffic violation by a convenience store around 3 a.m. Police pursued him through residential streets as Garcia fled and apprehended him after using a spike strip to stop his car.
Dash camera footage shows two officers remove Garcia from his car and try to handcuff him while he’s on the ground. Then-Officer Jeffrey Aguirre hit Garcia with his baton what appears to be about six times during that process.
The footage went viral online when former Cathedral City police officer Cladiu Murzea, who was entangled in his own legal issues due to overdosing at work on fentanyl he stole from a crime scene, posted it. He got the video through a public records request.
Aguirre no longer works for Cathedral City, but the police department did not disclose the reason for his departure. An internal affairs review concluded that his actions during the arrest were unjustified. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office did not file criminal charges against Aguirre for the incident.
Garcia filed his lawsuit in United States District Court in 2024 against Cathedral City, its police department and Aguirre. The DA’s office had charged him with evading arrest but dismissed four felony charges against him in early 2024, weeks prior to Garcia filing the lawsuit.
Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City. Reach her at ani.gasparyan@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Cathedral City settles lawsuit with man beaten by police officer
Reporting by Ani Gasparyan, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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