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Parents File Wrongful-death Lawsuit After Police Kill Son
The city of Oceanside has been named in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the parents of a man who was shot and killed by an Oceanside police officer.
Police responded to a report that the man was firing a rifle and when they arrived, he tried to run over an officer.
The man's parents, Juana and Domingez Ricardo Sanchez, filed the lawsuit on behalf of their son, Juan Santiago Sanchez, 18. He was killed on October 13th, 2004, and his parents are now asking the city for an unspecified amount in damages related to his death.
The family filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court's North County Branch on November 1st. The suit claims that the police used excessive force and acted unjustifiably when they shot the boy.
The prosecutors are also trying to prove that the city is at fault by being negligent in their hiring, supervising, and training methods. According to the attorney, the police violated the boy's civil rights and acted forcefully.
According to police reports, police arrived at the 1400 block of Santa Rita just before midnight on October 13th, 2004. They had received reports of a gun going off in the neighborhood.
911 received a call the night of the incident from the victim's mother, Juana Sanchez. She reportedly had called in saying that her son did in fact have a gun and was firing it in the street.
Juana Sanchez was calling the police in an effort for them to keep him from shooting the firearm, but did not expect them to use such force to subdue him. Other family members told police that he was not shooting the weapon in the street.
The officer involved in the incident has been identified as Officer Robert Saracino. Saracino arrived at the scene in front of the family's house where he turned on the spotlight and instructed Juan Sanchez to stop and get out of his 1992 Pontiac.
Sanchez maneuvered his car directly into the patrol car and even pinned the officer against it.
At that time, the officer reported that he feared for his safety so he opened fire on the driver of the car.
Sanchez was struck by the officer's bullet and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The street in front of his house is still covered in memorabilia and makeshift mementos to the boy who lived and died on the street.