SANTA ANA, Calif. (KNX) — The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a man who alleged two sheriff's deputies tased him after he called 911 to report them for harassment.
The settlement was approved during a closed-door session and was accepted by attorneys representing the plaintiff, David Andrews.
According to the suit, O.C. deputies Stephen Harder and Robert Seamans saw a car parked in the lot of a Yorba Linda gym while on patrol in 2017. They approached the vehicle with guns drawn and flashlights out, waking up Andrews, who was sleeping inside.
Harder and Seamans ordered Andrews get out of the car. They questioned him about what he was doing, then demanded he produce identification.
Andrews, who had recently broken up with a live-in partner, told officers the gym owner knew he was sleeping in his car on the property and had given permission. He then asked why the officers were questioning him and why he needed to produce identification.
Andrews was eventually released and the deputies left. Once they departed the scene, Andrews called 911 to complain the pair had harassed him.
While the call was ongoing, both Harder and Seamans returned to the parking lot and told Andrews they were going to arrest him if he didn't stop lodging complaints. Andrews continued speaking with the 911 operator.
The deputies then "advanced aggressively" on Andrews, who begged the 911 operator for help. They then used a taser on him, according to the suit.
Deputies then arrested Andrews for filing a false report and booked him into Orange County jail. Prosecutors later declined to pursue charges.
"It's another case where cops didn't know the law," Andrews' attorney told The Orange County Register. "They feel it's a crime to not ID yourself to a cop."
The O.C. Sheriff's Department has declined to comment on the matter.
