A federal jury has awarded $51.8 million to the mother of a mentally ill Southern California man who was shot and killed by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies following a vehicular pursuit. The award is believed to be the largest verdict in a police shooting case in California history.
Antonio Garza Jr. was killed on Feb. 5, 2023, after a 35-minute chase that began when he started a fire at his Yucca Valley home and ended on Interstate 10 in Palm Springs. Following a seven-day civil trial, the federal jury unanimously found the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department liable for the actions of Deputies Nicholas Kridner and Bill Abernathy. The deputies were found to have used excessive force, violated Garza’s civil rights, and committed wrongful death.
During the trial, attorney Rebecca Brown characterized the encounter during a news conference, stating that the incident amounted to the execution of a mentally ill man. The Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the verdict.
Evidence presented during the trial included an independent autopsy showing that deputies fired 14 times at Garza and an additional seven times after he had fallen to the ground. The autopsy revealed Garza was struck twice in the back and twice while on the ground. Neither of the deputies involved was wearing body cameras, but a motorist on Interstate 10 captured a portion of the shooting on video.
The recorded footage shows four deputies pursuing Garza along the interstate as he faced them while holding an object. Deputy Kridner ordered Garza to show his hands and get on the ground, but Garza ran off holding a golf club, turned around, and shouted back that officers were going to shoot him before moving toward them.
Garza was struck twice with less-lethal bean bag rounds but did not surrender. According to Kridner and Abernathy, Garza raised the golf club above his head and swung it toward Kridner just before they opened fire. County defense lawyers also pointed to an autopsy finding of a large quantity of methamphetamine in Garza’s system at the time of his death.
Jurors heard extensive testimony detailing Garza’s prior encounters with law enforcement and his family’s repeated, unsuccessful efforts to secure mental health intervention from the county as his condition deteriorated. Relatives had previously called deputies for a welfare check on Feb. 5, 2021, which resulted in Garza’s arrest for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly drove toward deputies.
Family members testified they sought assistance from multiple government and independent organizations and explored obtaining a conservatorship, but were turned away because Garza did not seek help voluntarily and lacked self-awareness regarding his illness. His sister, Silvia Garza-Littman, noted that his paranoia and fear intensified over time.
In August 2022, a court found Garza mentally incompetent to stand trial and ordered him jailed pending an opening at a state mental health treatment facility. When a placement never materialized, an attorney petitioned for his release. Garza was freed from county jail on Jan. 24, 2023—just 12 days before the shooting—and instructed to find mental health services within 48 hours. Upon visiting the court-ordered offices, he was informed there was a six-month waiting list.
The jury’s financial award covers multiple categories of damages, including $8 million for emotional pain and suffering, $10 million for loss of love, $8 million for future loss of enjoyment, $2 million for mental pain, $6 million for physical pain, $2.8 million in lost earnings, and $5 million for civil rights violations. Furthermore, the jury determined the deputies acted with reckless disregard, adding $10 million in punitive damages.
