Family of man killed by LASD deputies awarded $3M settlement

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a $3 million settlement with the mother of an armed robbery suspect who was fatally shot by two sheriff's deputies.

The shooting took place around 1:50 a.m. on Aug. 12, 2018, after a woman called 911 stating that her boyfriend had been robbed of his watch at gunpoint by three men in their thirties or forties.

The two were parked near the intersection of Mednik Avenue and Hammel Street in East Los Angeles, and described one of the suspects as armed and wearing a "blue T-shirt."

A pair of deputies determined that 21-year-old Anthony Vargas matched the description and attempted to detain him when a struggle ensued.

According to ABC7, deputies Jonathon Rojas and Nikolis Perez found Vargas when he was returning home from a party. Vargas was walking through the Nueva Maravilla apartment courtyard, and he allegedly ran away from them.

The deputies said they were able to get Vargas on his stomach in a grassy area, when one of them saw him reach for his waistband over his outer clothing and felt the butt of a gun.

"While on the ground, the Decedent lifted his body up with his right hand under him, at which point Deputy Two observed the gun in the Decedent's right hand.  Seeing the gun in the Decedent's right hand, Deputy Two believed the Decedent was going to shoot him, and yelled, ‘Gun! Gun! Gun!’” the settlement document states.

"Deputy One heard Deputy Two yell, ‘Gun! Gun! He's going for the gun!' At this instant, Deputy Two, from a seated position approximately five feet from the Decedent, drew his service weapon with his right hand and fired several rounds toward the Decedent," the document continues.

The document adds that simultaneously, Deputy One believed the suspect was going to attempt to shoot Deputy Two and fired several rounds toward the Decedent.

Vargas was pronounced dead at about 2:20 a.m. A black semi-automatic firearm was recovered from underneath his body, authorities said. His family has disputed this claim and alleged that the gun was planted by authorities after Vargas was shot.

The settlement document states the deputies were not equipped with body-worn cameras, but deputies assigned to the East Los Angeles sheriff station have since been issued such equipment.

Some of Vargas' family members spoke at Tuesday's board meeting.

"I'm here today to express concern and disappointment by the ... description of my nephew Anthony Vargas who is still being criminalized after his tragic death," said Valerie Vargas, his aunt.

"Our family's pursuit of justice has been hindered by the qualified immunity doctrine by continuing to believe the police narrative we are ignoring the complexities of Anthony's life," she added

Another of Vargas' relatives, Stephanie Luna, said the approval of Tuesday's settlement was "not to give (the) family any type of closure, but to provide some type of accountability. We've been coming before you for seven years talking about deputy gangs and holding the sheriff's department accountable."

Other community members who spoke at the meeting echoed the sentiments of the family, with some speakers claiming the existence of a deputy gang called the "Banditos," and urging the board to consider defunding the sheriff's department.

Additional reporting by City News Service.