AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Austin City Council members voted unanimously on Thursday to approve a $2.95 million settlement in another lawsuit connected to protester injuries sustained during the May 2020 racial justice protests.
16-year old Brad Ayala was struck in the head by one of the "less lethal" bean bag rounds, according to video from the protests. Ayala's case is the fourth to be settled by the city, with nearly a dozen more still pending.
So far, the four settlements approved by council total more than $13 million.
Ayala is believed to have received some of the most significant injuries seen during the protests, with video widely circulated on social media showing him dropping to the ground after being hit.
19 Austin Police officers were indicted by a Travis County grand jury last month on aggravated assault charges in connection to the protests. The officers, along with APD leadership, say the "less lethal" munitions were expired and defective, which led to unexpected results, but deny any criminal wrongdoing.
Since the protests, APD has said it will no longer use the "less lethal" munitions for crowd control situations.
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