Suit Against City to Be Discussed Next Week

Santa Barbara City Council members will meet next week in closed session to discuss the lawsuit filed by a Santa Maria man, Javier Bravo, who is complaining of physical ailments sustained two years ago when Santa Barbara SWAT officers – working in cooperation with a gang sweep orchestrated by the Santa Maria Police Department – shot his door open during a raid in search of his son, a suspected gang member. Bravo’s son was in state prison at the time and the warrant indicating he was living with his father in Santa Maria was false. Bravo also sued the Santa Maria Police and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff, but those complaints were dismissed by a federal judge. So too were all but one of the allegations against the Santa Barbara Police. The only issue now is whether the police gave Bravo enough time to answer the door before shooting the lock out using a special plastic projectile designed for such purposes. Bravo claims the officers’ sudden entrance startled him and that he sustained injuries as a result. He is seeking roughly $500,000.