Original story:
A California county on Tuesday approved paying a $650,000 settlement to avoid a lawsuit by a man whose beating by deputies after a horse chase was captured on video.
San Bernardino County spokesman David Wert said county supervisors approved the settlement with 30-year-old Francis Pusok in a closed meeting.
Pusok's arrest was recorded by a TV news helicopter and has led to an FBI civil rights investigation and 10 deputies being placed on leave pending an internal probe.
Raw video of the incident:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KIKUEjn3Z0
Wert says the agreement would settle all potential claims from Pusok's April 9 arrest.
A message seeking comment was left for Pusok's lawyer.
Pusok fled by car and then on the horse in the desert while deputies chased him on foot after trying to serve a search warrant in an identity-theft investigation.
Jodi Miller, a sheriff's department spokeswoman, said the names of the deputies involved in the arrest have not been released because the department continues to receive threatening phone calls and emails from the public.
No criminal charges have been filed against any deputies in connection with the incident. Ten have been placed on administrative leave.
The L.A. Times reports:
"The FBI has opened a civil rights investigation into the case, while the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has launched a disciplinary investigation, as well as an investigation that could lead to possible criminal charges.
The evidence to be reviewed will include audio recorders worn by the deputies."
Attorney Matt McNicholas, who has represented victims of force in civil rights cases and police officers in employment cases, told the AP that the agreement was an "excellent result for all sides'' and a fiscally and morally responsible action by the county. McNicholas was not involved in Pusok's case.
"It ended up, I believe, saving the taxpayers money and probably putting more money in the plaintiff's pocket,'' McNicholas said.
The department is investigating whether any criminal charges should be filed against Pusok or the deputies involved in his arrest, and is conducting a separate internal probe into the deputies' actions, Miller said.
Pusok has a number of vehicle code violations and pleaded no contest to several criminal charges, including resisting arrest, attempted robbery, animal cruelty and fighting or offensive words, according to San Bernardino County Superior Court records.