California
Man paralyzed from run-in with police gets $20M settlement
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California man who was left paralyzed after he was slammed to the ground during a traffic stop won a $20 million settlement, one of the largest in the state’s history, officials announced Tuesday.
Gregory Gross, an Army veteran who lives in Yuba City, sued the police department in 2022 after police officers used “pain compliance” techniques and expressed disbelief when he repeatedly cried out, “I can’t feel my legs.” Police officers also dismissed Gross when he said, “I can’t breathe,” while being held facedown on the lawn outside a hospital. Gross was accused of driving drunk and causing a slow-speed collision in April 2020.
Gross was left with a broken neck, and he underwent two surgeries to fuse his spine. He said the officers’ use of force left him unable to walk or care for himself, and he now needs round-the-clock nursing care for the rest of his life.
“We are not against the police,” said Attorney Moseley Collins, who represents Gross. “We are for the police, but we are against police brutality when it occurs.”
The settlement is among one of the largest police misconduct settlements in California history. In May, the state agreed to pay $24 million to the family of a man who died in police custody after screaming, “I can’t breathe,” as multiple officers restrained him while trying to take a blood sample.
The settlement will also result in some reforms in the Yuba City police department. Yuba City Police Chief Brian Baker will be at a news conference Tuesday to provide details.
In the police body camera video supplied by Gross’ lawyers, an officer is seen twisting Gross’ already handcuffed arms and forcibly seating him on a lawn. At one point, officers slammed him on the ground and held him facedown as Gross repeatedly cried out that he couldn’t feel his legs and he couldn’t breathe.
“Mr. Gross, we are done with your silly little games,” an officer tells him.
In September 2021, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law barring police from using certain facedown holds that have led to multiple unintended deaths. The bill was aimed at expanding on the state’s ban on chokeholds in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.
Colorado
State lawmakers sue colleagues over closed-door meetings
DENVER (AP) — Two Democratic state lawmakers in Colorado are alleging that their colleagues repeatedly violated state open meetings law by gathering to discuss official business outside of the public’s view and directing aides to “omit or disguise” some meetings from representatives’ calendars, according to a lawsuit filed against their own caucus.
The lawsuit, filed late Friday night, also alleges that Democratic and Republican lawmakers used Signal, a communication app where messages can be set to automatically disappear, in violation of state open meetings law and public records law.
Democratic Reps. Elisabeth Epps and Bob Marshall filed the lawsuit against the House of Representatives leadership and the Democratic and Republican caucuses.
Democratic House Speaker Rep. Julie McCluskie and House Republican Deputy Chief of Staff Roger Hudson, speaking for their respective caucuses accused of wrongdoing, said in separate statements that they are both committed to government transparency.
“We are still reviewing the complaint in full, and we stand by our caucus,” McCluskie said in the statement cosigned by Democratic Majority Leader Rep. Monica Duran.
The complaint states that, under Colorado law, when at least two lawmakers meet and discuss official business, it must be open to the public. If a quorum is present, the public must be noticed ahead of time, and the meeting minutes must be recorded and publicly accessible.
The lawsuit alleges that Colorado lawmakers met sometimes twice a week to discuss public business, such as pending legislation, but failed to follow any of the open meeting prescriptions outlined by state law, thereby shadowing deliberations from Colorado residents.
Similarly, the lawsuit alleges that the use of Signal was widespread and included discussions between lawmakers while they were sitting in committee or on the House floor — described in the complaint as “meetings within meetings.” Since the messages would self-destruct, they weren’t accessible for public inspection under Colorado’s public records law, the plaintiffs said.
But open meeting and public record laws, he continued, are necessary for transparency “so people know what’s going on and have confidence in their government. That weird stuff isn’t going on behind closed doors.”
Marshall said that, as written, the law is difficult to follow to the letter, and he hopes it will be rewritten.
Marshall and Epps said they repeatedly raised their concerns to leadership over the course of the four-month legislative session, but nothing changed. Epps boycotted caucus meetings and Marshall took to the well on the last night of the session to warn that he would take action after leadership had failed to follow through on their assurances to fix the situation.
Marshall said “it was a massive swamp they inherited” and that the assurances offered were “just basically perfume rather than draining it.”
Missouri
Chiefs superfan accused in bank robbery
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A rabid Kansas City Chiefs fan known on Twitter as “ChiefsAholic” is accused of robbing a bank in Iowa, and federal authorities suspect he’s responsible for bank and credit union robberies throughout the central U.S.
Federal prosecutors on Monday announced that 28-year-old Xaviar Michael Babudar of Overland Park, Kansas, was charged with one count of bank theft and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines. It wasn’t immediately clear if Babudar had an attorney.
Babudar had a strong following on social media and often wore a full-body wolf costume to games. His Twitter handle has been taken down.
He was charged in December with robbing a credit union in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was released on bond in February but prosecutors said he removed an ankle monitor and fled until his arrest Friday near Sacramento, California.
An affidavit accuses Babudar of a robbery that netted nearly $70,000 from the Great Western Bank in Clive, Iowa, in March 2022. He’s suspected in many other robberies and could face additional charges, prosecutors said.
The affidavit said Babudar traveled the Midwest and robbed banks and credit unions in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and Tennessee, laundering the robbery proceeds through casinos and bank accounts. He’s also suspected in two attempted credit union robberies in Minnesota.
