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VOL. 9,
NO. 254
Jury finds Riverside County liable for death of pool worker killed by deputy
Feds arrest 4 in connection with New Year's Eve bomb plot
By City News Service
joet@beaconmedianews.com
T
he family of a mentally ill Cathedral City man who stabbed a Riverside County sheriff's deputy, prompting the lawman to fatally shoot him in the back, was awarded $13.1 million at the end of a civil trial against the county, it was announced Monday. Logina Perez Monroy and David Monroy, parents of Jeffrey Alexander Monroy, filed suit claiming federal civil rights violations in connection with the death of their 33-year-old son, as well as other factors warranting compensatory awards. Following a nine-day trial that ended Thursday at U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles, jurors returned with the high-dollar findings in favor of the plaintiffs, whose attorneys characterized it as the "largest ever excessive use of force" verdict against the county. It was not immediately clear whether the defendants intended to appeal. "There is no excuse for shooting Mr. Monroy multiple times in the back when he was no threat at all to the deputy," plaintiffs' attorney Houman Sayaghi said. "Thankfully, the jury saw the truth and came to the right conclusion and held law enforcement accountable for its egregious actions." Attorney Kaveh Navab said it was an "honor and privilege" to represent the plaintiffs. "Nothing can ever
By Joe Taglieri
F
This frame is one of the few visible images from the disabled body-worn camera that captured what authorities said was an attack with a screwdriver on Deputy Ruben Perez. | Photo courtesy of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department
replace what they lost, but this verdict represents justice and accountability,"
The defendants submitted an answer to the civil complaint in 2021 stating
Jeffrey Alexander Monoy. | Photo courtesy of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department
Navab said. Though the county was the principal target of the suit, Sheriff Chad Bianco and Cpl. Ruben Perez, the deputy who fired the fatal shots, were also named.
they unequivocally denied "all liability or wrongdoing," questioning the "legal conclusions and arguments" submitted by the plaintiffs. See DIS lawsuit Page 31
According to the complaint, the deadly shooting occurred on the afternoon of Aug. 7, 2020, while Monroy was working for his father's pool service company, providing assistance with repairs to a pool in the 70800 block of Tamarisk Lane in Rancho Mirage. Monroy became agitated and walked away from the job site, calling his brother, Will Monroy, to retrieve him so he could go home, the plaintiffs said. A resident on the block thought Monroy appeared suspicious due to his bandana and dark clothing, leading the party to call 911 to report a possible troublemaker, the attorneys said. Perez and Will Monroy arrived at the same time minutes later, and Perez attempted to question the
ederal authorities have foiled an alleged New Year's Eve bomb plot in Southern California following the arrests of four people in San Bernardino County, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday. The defendants were arrested Friday in Lucerne Valley and were allegedly connected with Turtle Island Liberation Front, an offshoot of a pro-Palestinian group, DOJ officials said. The four suspects were identified as Audrey Carroll, 30, of South Los Angeles; Zachary Aaron Page, 32, of Torrance; Dante Gaffield, 24, of South LA; and Tina Lai, 41, of Glendale. Each are charged in Los Angeles federal court with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. The four were expected to appear before a magistrate judge Monday afternoon in downtown LA. FBI officials said a fifth person believed to be connected to the same group was arrested in New Orleans for allegedly planning a separate attack. The California suspects were arrested Friday in the Mojave Desert as they unloaded bomb-making materials from their cars. They allegedly were preparing to construct and test explosives intended for attacks throughout the region at logistics businesses, according to the DOJ. Officials said Carroll developed a detailed plan See Bomb plot Page 02
last month to bomb at least five locations across Southern California on New Year's Eve. “The Turtle Island Liberation Front — a far-left, proPalestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group — was preparing to conduct a series of bombings against multiple targets in California beginning on New Year’s Eve. The group also planned to target ICE agents and vehicles,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “This was an incredible effort by our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the FBI to ensure Americans can live in peace. We will continue to pursue these terror groups and bring them to justice.” Prosecutors allege the plot included planting backpacks filled with explosive devices at multiple businesses that were set to blow up simultaneously at midnight on New Year's Eve. The group also allegedly planned to target U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and vehicles with pipe bombs in January or February, said Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. "Carroll stated that some of those plans would quote 'take some of them out and scare the rest,'" Essayli told reporters Monday. Essayli also said the suspects were arrested in the desert near Twentynine Palms before they were able