The city of Hialeah, Florida, will pay $500,000 to a family that filed a wrongful death lawsuit after six police officers shot a driver more than 120 times in 2017.
That year, 24-year-old Lester Machado was driving his Honda Civic around town when cops pulled him over for an alleged minor traffic stop.
The incident ended with a chase down the highway in which Machado had to pull over his car and the police
opened fire more than 100 times
, according to The Washington Post newspaper.
The six police officers involved did not admit their guilt and were acquitted of crimes. Randy Faris / Getty Images
The lawsuit was filed by Yolaisy Pérez, Machado's mother, who won it five years after what happened.
According to a copy of the legal agreement obtained by the aforementioned newspaper, the victim's defense argued that the shooting is part of a pattern of excessive force and "street justice" by the police.
The officers, who did not admit guilt and were cleared of wrongdoing shortly after the incident, said they detained Machado because he had a broken license plate light.
The family's lawyers, however, assured that
the light worked.
[This man drove his car in Florida at high speed only to be stopped by the police. A gesture with his hand saved his life]
After the shooting, according to the Post, Machado backed his vehicle in the direction of the agents.
Hialeah Police Sgt. Carl Zogby said the officers then "jumped back into their vehicles for their own safety, and then he takes advantage and speeds away."
That's when they gave chase for 10 minutes, stopping when Machado crashed into a Metrorail pillar.
There they began to shoot.
Machado, according to court records, received at least seven bullet wounds
;
even in the stomach and head.
Wounded policeman was assisted by drivers who found him on a California highway
April 29, 202200:26
He was found dead in the back seat on the passenger side.
Hialeah Police Department policy states that officers should not chase people for minor traffic violations.
The officers, however, justified the pursuit and shooting by saying that Machado
had used the car as a deadly weapon.
"It is evident that after the crash, and the hail of gunfire directed at him, Machado was seeking cover and protection from the gunfire, and did not resist, attempt to flee or retaliate in any way against the overwhelming firepower," they said. the family's lawyers, who clarified that Machado was not armed either.
[Florida Officer Under Investigation After Stopping Black Driver And Going Viral On TikTok: "This Is How They Get Killed"]
In 2017, the year Machado was killed, police shot at 179 people in vehicles, the most in any year since The Washington Post began tracking such deaths.
