OCEANSIDE — Civil rights attorney Dale Galipo announced Dec. 20 that the Beaird family has filed a $20 million civil claim against the Los Angeles Police Department for the Dec. 13 police shooting that killed their 51-year-old son, disabled military veteran Brian Newt Beaird of Oceanside.
In a press release Galipo said the shooting was unjustified.
“Brian was unarmed at the time of the shooting and posed no immediate threat to the life of any officer or individual,” Galipo said.
The Los Angeles medical examiner’s office confirmed the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. Details were not shared on how many times Brian Beaird was shot or where he was hit.
A preliminary departmental review says LAPD officers at the scene fired a total of 22 shots.
Results of a toxicology report to determine whether Beaird was under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be available for eight to 10 weeks.
The shooting occurred after Brian Beaird led police on an hourlong chase through south Los Angeles.
The pursuit began in Cudahy at 9:30 p.m., when deputies attempted to pull Brian Beaird over on suspicion of drunken and reckless driving.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol initially pursued Beaird in his vehicle before the LAPD took over the chase at 10:16 p.m.
Live television showed the late-model Chevrolet Corvette, which Brian Beaird was driving, running numerous red lights and stop signs, and weaving through neighborhoods and commercial districts near the Staples Center.
The car chase came to an end when Brian Beaird smashed into a Nissan Maxima at the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Los Angeles Street at approximately 10:30 p.m.
Videotape shows Brian Beaird exiting his car with his hands up and then collapsing on his back on the sidewalk after he was shot.
No weapon was found at the scene.
NBC News reported that John Beaird, the deceased’s brother, said their father had been on the phone with Brian Beaird during the chase and urged him to pull over. For whatever reason, perhaps his fear of police, he did not.
NBC News also reported Bill Beaird, the deceased’s father, said his late son had “some kind of problem” with police connected to his paranoia, which he struggled with following brain surgery and the loss of friends in a helicopter crash.
Paramedics performed CPR and other rescue efforts on Brian Beaird following the shooting. He was taken to California Hospital Medical Center where he died at 11:13 p.m.
The shooting is being investigated by the LAPD Force Investigation Division.
LAist.com reported that LAPD is looking into whether police startled by “friendly fire” may have mistakenly shot Beaird.
Three LAPD officers have been temporarily relieved of patrol duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
