Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Metro Police investigate after officers fatally shot 23-year-old Rafael Alonso Olivas on July 14, 2011, in the western Las Vegas Valley.
Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011 | 11:31 a.m.
Map
Las Vegas police were sued today over what an attorney calls the "wrongful death" of a knife-wielding man shot and killed by officers July 14.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department at the time said officers fatally shot Rafael Alonso Olivas, 23, after they responded to a domestic disturbance, were threatened by Olivas after they found him carrying a butcher knife and walking down a street, and had tried to subdue him with four non-lethal rounds.
The incident happened on Firestone Drive, in western Las Vegas near Buffalo Drive and the Summerlin Parkway interchange.
Today’s lawsuit was filed by Las Vegas attorney E. Brent Bryson on behalf of Alma Chavez, mother of Olivas.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, charges Olivas’s civil rights were violated when officers used excessive force against him and then failed to secure and render immediate medical attention for the man.
The suit claims that early on July 14 Chavez called 911 "to get help for her son" as he had been arguing with her and a female friend.
The suit says Olivas had an ulcer that "acted up" when he became stressed or upset and that Chavez wanted assistance from Metro’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), which assists with people in emotional distress, to calm Olivas down so his ulcer did not act up.
Olivas heard his mother call police, became upset and grabbed a kitchen knife and went outside – facts all relayed to dispatchers, the lawsuit says.
Instead of the CIT team responding, regular Metro officers arrived and had been on the scene for less than two minutes before shooting Olivas, the suit claims.
"Alma did not hear any warnings or any attempt to have Rafael surrender himself prior to the officers’ shooting and killing her son," the suit charges.
The suit claims Metro has failed to train officers in dealing with persons having seizures and complains that since 2009 there have been 55-60 officer-related shootings locally, "a higher number of shootings in Las Vegas than in other cities of like kind and size."
Metro hasn’t yet responded to the lawsuit and its policy is to not comment on such suits.
In the shooting of Olivas, a police commander has said the officers resorted to lethal force because they feared for their lives. The officers told supervisors that the armed Olivas continued to approach them even after they commanded him to stop.
Today’s suit demands more than $9 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
what a crock. Walking down the street with a butcher knife is not a human right. Acting like a spoiled brat because your belly hurts is not a human right.
4 bean bag shots is a warning to drop the weapon you are carrying, dumb@ss.
If the Metro police cars were equipped with dash cameras, perhaps this would not rely on a "he said she said" senario.
This is a stupid cash grab. Check the moms visa. Cops did everything right.
Metro lacks training and is incompetent when it comes to dealing with mental health issues. Also, Brian Sandoval's draconian cuts to mental health care will produce more tragedies as the one in Carson City. Mr. Sandoval, restore mental health care budgets.
Here's a real novel idea - next time you have a 'medical' problem (ulcer, migraine headache etc etc). call a fricken DOCTOR instead of calling the POLICE. This is just a crock - mom obviously felt threatened enough to call the cops - I guess she's the only one allowed to feel threatened huh? Just another loser off the streets - good riddance.
Dash cams would probably help in a lot of cases.
This instance has always been murky, and no matter the truth is, it is another brick in the wall being built between citizens and Metro.
One possible solution would be to start paying awards from the PA retirement fund and let taxpayers off the hook. Officers might want to be sure they are truly justified if they know that it will hit them directly in the pocket book even if the inquest helps mitigate the damages from civil suits.
dash cams would be nice but they are far from the crux of the issue in this case.
in this case, cw commish said it best.
enjoy valhalla scumbag, I doubt your incompetent mommy will be able to profit from her lousy parenting skills and your violent, psychotic actions.
As I recall the mom works for Clark County and was aware that a special team has been trained to handle psych calls. That's who she asked the dispatcher to send. Instead she got some rookie hotdogs who fired a couple of 'bean bags' (what.... no Tazer?) and then blew the kid up. That'll teach her to call Metro for "help". Oh well.... one less psych to deal with later.
This is the 4th wrongful death, improper training and supervision suit filed this year against Metro, the officers involved and the Sheriff. In the first three suits, Scott, Cole and Chamberlain the officers involved had been in multiple fatal shootings. I doubt that any of these suits will be settled and the information that comes out will be very damaging to Metro.
Here we go again.
Good luck getting a jury to agree on this.
Give me a break. Choices the loser had his, (wrong choice). Metro had the (right choice). Providing this lawsuit goes in the Metro's favor. The LVPD should sue the ones that sued them. This might STOP or slow down these types of lawsuits
"Walking down the street with a butcher knife is not a human right. Acting like a spoiled brat because your belly hurts is not a human right."
cwcommish -- exactly which part of "all men ... are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" do you need explained to you?
"...no matter [what?] the truth is, it is another brick in the wall being built between citizens and Metro."
boftx -- "You! Yes you under the grandstands! Stand still laddy!"
"The LVPD should sue the ones that sued them."
Aaronboy -- all law enforcement officers swear an oath to support and defend the Constitutions. Our state Constitution specifically, and unusually, refers to the federal Constitution as "the Supreme Law of the land." That includes the 14th Amendment's promise no state will deprive any person of life or liberty without due process of law. So in your opinion how exactly did these officers give Olivas due process before taking his life?
"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it." -- Abraham Lincoln, first inaugural address, 1861
Wonder if the mother was contated by the attorney who is looking for a big payday. Hope the city does not settle out of court to make this go away. BS like this is the reason why more good people don't become police officers.
i love how KillerB always busts out "all men ... are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"....such a vague statement he always hides behind...what about my right to walk down the street without a guy holding a butcher knife that is mentally unstable...the founding fathers had no idea about what kinds a mental illnesses that would develop many many years after their lives...get back to reality KillerB...we dont live in those times anymore...im sick of hearing your constitutional statements.
Had she raised her son properly he would still be alive right this moment and the cops would have never been called to their home.
Now this loser mother wants the taxpayers to give her 9 million dollars. She's got the nerve. As always "THEY" love handouts.
In 1999 4 innocent lives were lost in a tragic shooting at an Albertson's on West Sahara...Zane Floyd went on a rampage and managed to take out anyone in his path... it was a miracle that a majority of people were unharmed...here's my point the metro officers of "that time" were able to secure to perimeter take care of the wounded and get this they actually took the suspect into custody WITHOUT firing a single shot... now that's something to really think about...something in severely wrong within metro's department and i fear for the citizens who are becoming the victims from those who we seek protection and calm...the officers of today are shooting the average citizen like dogs...that poor kid that was killed in the desert... if it wasn't for her fam & friends looking for her she might still be "missing"...in no way shape or form can metro take credit for the apprehension of her perpetrator...yet they will.....sad sad times for the people of Las Vegas.......
According to Fox 5, the police pumped 14 bullets into a kid with a butcher knife... Can you say overkill!
Hope she get something. There is no reason for that kind of force.
"such a vague statement he always hides behind...what about my right to walk down the street without a guy holding a butcher knife that is mentally unstable...the founding fathers had no idea about what kinds a mental illnesses that would develop many many years after their lives...get back to reality KillerB...we dont live in those times anymore...im sick of hearing your constitutional statements."
notfromhere06 -- ignorance like yours is so rampant here. That bit I "always hides behind" is from the Declaration of Independence, a keystone of this country's legitimacy and foundation of all our laws. That you have a problem with that only shows you have no clue what it is to be a citizen. If you choose to moo on with the rest of the herd, it no longer concerns me.
"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual." -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Isaac H Tiffany (1819)
Classic, maybe people will start listening to metro when asked to comply.. Too bad, but 1 less knucklehead on the street in Vegas!!
-- exactly which part of "all men ... are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" do you need explained to you?
The part where it says "these men shall be pissed off and armed with kitchen knifes and they shall ignore police with guns pointed at them".
Youre a dopebee
This is all about money. The plaintiff and her lawyer are looking for a payday. Take it all the way to court. Bet they don't even show up. Make sure to file your own counter suit before 2 years of the incident is up. Defamation of Character should be ok, plus all court/legal fees. This town is un-freakin'-believable when it comes to law suits. It is not by coincidence so many politicians are lawyers. Ain't it the truth!!!