11- Year Old Boys Family Files Suit against Pasadena alleging they were hit by Pepper Spray

City Reacts to Complaint filed

By Terry Miller

On Wednesday, Sept. 2 the Law Offices of James “Jaime” Segall-Gutierrez announced they acomplaint filed against the city of Pasadena on behalf of a family that allegethey were pepper sprayed in a melee in a local park after police officers killedAnthony McClain on August 15.

Anthony McClain was shot by white police officers on N.Raymond Ave., in Pasadena, across from La Pintoresca Park. He died at thescene. The shooting prompted a quick and angry response from residents of thearea and threats were made against at least one police officer, who respondedin kind with pepper spray.

Nafissatou and Natori began an impromptu protest for thekilling of Anthony McClain.  Atapproximately 9 p.m., protesters began questioning the police.  During one incident, cited above, a Pasadenapolice officer tasered a Black male. According to the attorney,Segall-Guitierrez, “within a split second, another officer sprayed mace intothe large crowd of protesters.  One ofthose hit by the mace was Natori. Both were traumatized and injured by theactions of the Pasadena Police Department,” he said.

The firm has filed a claim for damages against the City ofPasadena and the Pasadena Police Department for this “violation of Nafissatouand Natori’s First Amendment Right to Speech, as well as the abuse theyexperience,” according to a written statement.

The city of Pasadena responded to the latest complaint with abrief statement earlier this week:

“The crowd that gathered after the officer involved shooting wasunderstandably emotional, and additional officers were called to assist withsecuring the shooting scene to prevent contamination of the evidence. There were a few individuals in the crowd who became increasingly aggressivetowards officers and as the situation escalated, officers used a Taser on oneof these individuals after threats of violence were made and pepper spray wasalso used to disperse the encroaching crowd.

 Video of this incidentwas released by the Pasadena Police Department https://www.cityofpasadena.net/police/news/taser-deployment-la-pintoresca-park-aug-15-2020/  When it waslearned the child had been exposed, paramedics were called.  The child’smother took the opportunity to spray officers with her own pepper spray as theofficers were calling for paramedics.   The child would later telltreating paramedics that he was exposed when he ran towards the crowd of peoplewho were sprayed with the pepper spray, to look for his mother who he believedto be involved in the altercation with officers.  It is truly unfortunatethat a young child was involved in this incident at all.”

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