Anaheim Settles Police Brutality Lawsuit Filed By
Ringling Brothers Circus Protester
An Orange County man who accused Anaheim
cops of committing police brutality during a 2010 animal rights protest of
Ringling Brothers Circus at the Honda Center has won a settlement from the city
before a federal jury could consider the case.
In his 2011 lawsuit, Bryan Monell claimed
that he was videotaping the arrest of another protester when officer
Christopher Pena got upset that his actions were being recorded, tackled
Monell, caused a serious injury, confiscated the camera and then locked him in
jail for more than 26 hours by falsely accusing him of interfering with a
police officer and resisting arrest.
Monell, who has protested animal cruelty
hundreds of times without incident, suffered "a gash in his neck that
required hospitalization and stitches," according to the lawsuit that also
accused officers Jonathan Kirkpatrick and Angelica Mejia of violating his
rights.
Federal court records show that Monell
received undisclosed damages in exchange for him dropping the lawsuit that
would have been heard in U.S. District Court Judge James V. Selna's Santa Ana
courtroom.