Las Vegas police to pay $200K to settle lawsuit accusing ex-officer of excessive force
Las Vegas police on Monday settled a lawsuit filed by a woman who accused a former officer of excessive force.
The Metropolitan Police Committee on Fiscal Affairs approved a $200,000 settlement for Amanda Vizcarrondo-Ortiz for a lawsuit she filed in February. Vizcarrondo-Ortiz claimed Richard Scavone used excessive force while arresting her in January 2015.
Scavone was fired from the department and faces felony charges related to the event.
A federal grand jury indicted the man in January, alleging he handcuffed the woman and assaulted her several times.
He grabbed the woman around her neck and threw her to the ground, struck her in the forehead with an open palm, slammed her face into the hood of his patrol car twice and slammed her into the door of his car, the indictment alleges.
Scavone also falsified a use-of-force report about his confrontation with the woman, according to the indictment.
The woman was charged with littering and loitering, but those charges were dismissed.
Authorities last year said Scavone was wearing a body camera during the scuffle, but police have not made the recording public.
Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find @WesJuhl on Twitter.
