The Santa Ana City Council Tuesday approved a $1.7-million settlement with the family of a homeless man shot and killed by police in 2013.
The 22 year-old man, Kevin Arellano, was walking on a sidewalk on S. Harbor Boulevard when Officer Jessica Guidry responded to call about a man under the influence who was disturbing people, according to a Orange County District Attorney’s Office investigation.
Arellano ran when he saw the officer, and the two ended up in front of a juice shop, where Arellano approached Guidry aggressively, according to the DA’s office. Guidry killed Arellano with a single shot to his chest.
Arellano’s family filed a lawsuit against the city in Nov. 2014, claiming Guidry should have used non-deadly force.
The plaintiffs included Arellano’s mother Eva Gloria Sanchez Mejia, father Jose Eduardo Arellano, Kevin Arellano’s daughter, and his now-3 year-old son, who was born four months before the shooting.
The city fought the case, but ultimately decided to settle before trial.
Council members voted 4-0 Tuesday night to resolve the case with a $1.7 million payment to Arellano’s family and lawyers. Council members David Benavides, Michele Martinez and Vicente Sarmiento were absent.
There was no comment from the city or Dale Galipo, attorney who represented the family.
Nick Gerda covers county government and Santa Ana for Voice of OC. You can contact him at ngerda@voiceofoc.org.