Family Files $20 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit Involving Man's Shooting

The family of an unarmed man who was shot and killed by Los Angeles police officers at the end of an hourlong chase filed a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against the city.
  
One of the family's attorneys, Dale K. Galipo, told reporters that he was "attempting to get some justice'' on behalf of Brian Beaird and his family involving the shooting last Dec. 13 after the 51-year-old disabled veteran staggered out of his Corvette.
  
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, alleges that video footage shows Beaird "who is clearly unarmed being shot as he is stumbling away from a swarm of police vehicles.''
  
The man's father, Billy Beaird, witnessed his son's shooting on a live TV broadcast, according to Galipo.
  
"I miss him so much,'' his father said.
  
"The Oceanside man -- a National Guard veteran -- died at a hospital about 45 minutes after the chase ended at 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 near the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Los Angeles Street, authorities said.
  
Beaird was shot by Los Angeles police as he got out of a silver Corvette, which was badly damaged, smoking and wedged between poles on a sidewalk after crashing into another vehicle at the end of the chase.
  
Live television broadcasts at 10 p.m. on Dec. 13 showed the Corvette running numerous red lights and stop signs, and weaving as it sped through neighborhoods and commercial districts between Cudahy, southeast of Los
Angeles, and the area near the Staples Center.
  
Just after 10:30 p.m., the Corvette smashed into a Nissan Maxima at East Olympic Boulevard and South Los Angeles Street, the video shows.
  
As the car's tires spun and smoked, the driver exited the Corvette. He was then shot, and collapsed on his back on a sidewalk.
  
The vehicle had been pursued by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol vehicles before the LAPD took over at 10:16 p.m., LAPD Officer Rosario Herrera said. Sheriff's deputies had initially tried to pull the driver over in Cudahy about 9:30 p.m.
  
No weapon was recovered at the scene of the shooting, according to police.
  
Galipo told reporters that Beaird had made a "couple'' of calls to his family and indicated he did not know why police were chasing him.
  
He said he expects the case to go to trial in U.S. District Court in about a year unless a settlement is reached before then.
  
"We have not received the litigation and we have no comment,'' said Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.
  
A spokeswoman for the LAPD also said the agency would not have any comment on pending litigation.
  
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said shortly after the shooting that the three officers involved, who fired 15 to 20 rounds during the shooting, had been placed on home duty pending the final results of the use-of- force investigation. Beck said then that a beanbag round had also been deployed.
--City News Service