SAN DIEGO — The City of San Diego is paying $8 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was run over by a SUV in the middle of Rosecrans Street as he was getting handcuffed by a San Diego Police Officer.
Deovante Guy suffered life-altering injuries and full-time medical care as a result of the February 28, 2019 incident.
In the early morning hours, just before 5:00 AM, police were called to a report of vandalism inside the 7-11 convenience store on Rosecrans near Midway Drive.
Guy, according to court documents, walked across the street when police arrived at the scene.
As he walked across the street, San Diego Police Officer Matthew Lorenzen grabbed Guy's wrist and placed him on the ground in the middle of busy Rosecrans Street.
Moments later an SUV traveling on Rosecrans slammed into Guy.
The impact caused severe injuries, including numerous broken bones, internal bleeding, torn organs and internal decapitation - an injury where the brain stem is sheared from the spinal cord. According to the lawsuit Guy's treating physicians questioned whether to remove Guy from life support. The thirty-something-year-old later made a slight recovery, however, is still in need of round-the-clock medical care.
In October 2020, Guy and his caretaker sued the city of San Diego and the police officer for excessive use of force, civil rights violations and unreasonable search and seizures, among other causes of action.
As trial was approaching, Guy's attorneys, the city and the city's outside counsel agreed to settle the case for $8 million.
San Diego city council members approved the settlement during an October 17 meeting.
