The family of a man who was fatally struck by a Los Angeles police officer has filed a claim against the city, the prelude to a lawsuit.
On Dec. 8 around 5 p.m. the cruiser was driving east on Century Boulevard with the emergency lights activated when it struck 25-year-old Luis Humberto Armenta Espinoza, who was running southbound across Century outside a crosswalk to the west of the intersection with McKinley Avenue.
The officer called for an ambulance and tried to render aid to Espinoza. He was brought to a local hospital and declared dead there.
Espinoza died one day before his 26th birthday.
His uncle, Alejandro Armenta, spoke out at a news conference Wednesday alongside the family’s attorney, saying they simply want justice. They announced the filing of a claim against the city of Los Angeles and the police department.
“This officer speeding like that did not have any reverence for human life, and it’s regrettable because now an entire family is hurting and in pain and is suffering because she was poorly trained,” said family attorney Luis Carrillo.