News, Family of slain El Monte cop files claim against D.A. Gascón, probation department : detailed suggestions and opinions about Family of slain El Monte cop files claim against D.A. Gascón, probation department .
The family of an El Monte police officer who was slain earlier this year has filed a notice of claim seeking millions in damages against Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón and the L.A. County Probation Department.
Janine Paredes — whose husband, Michael, was one of two officers gunned down during a confrontation at a motel in June — filed the notice of claim Wednesday, blaming both Gascón’s criminal justice reform policies and lax supervision by the probation department for putting the suspected gunman, Justin Flores, in the officers’ path on the day of the deadly clash.
A notice of claim is the first step in filing a civil lawsuit, which will probably be done early next year, according to the Paredes’ family attorney, Mark Peacock.
The claim alleges Flores “should have been in custody at the time of the murders but for the deliberate indifference” of Gascón and the probation department, which allowed “Flores to freely roam and prey on those unsuspecting people who work and live in the City of El Monte in the County of Los Angeles.”
