Man Awarded $877K In Police Excessive Force Case

AUSTIN, TX -- A federal jury has awarded $877,000 worth of damages to a man who sued police for excessive force for a 2012 for a crime he didn’t commit, according to a published report.

The man, Pete Hernandez, previously filed a civil lawsuit against three Austin police. According to the lawsuit, police tackled Hernandez outside a southeast Austin Walmart in June 2012 in a case of mistaken identity stemming from a car theft, as outlined in a KVUE-TV report at the time.

The jury found one Austin officer in particular, Jesus Sanchez, liable for Hernandez’s injuries.

Hernandez was detained as police investigated the theft case, leaving him unrestrained in a patrol car while an officer chased the actual suspect, the Austin American-Statesman reported, citing details included in the lawsuit filed in 2014.