FOCUS: ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY NEWS : PLACENTIA
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Residents of 15 homes in the Atwood area have filed a lawsuit against the Police Department, alleging that officers violated their civil rights in January during a massive hunt for a suspect in a New Year’s Eve slaying.
About 50 people, some of them children, are suing the city for unspecified damages, claiming that police brutally assaulted them even though they were innocent, said Richard Keller, the attorney for the residents.
The Police Department denies the charges, standing by an original statement that the officers “acted legally and lawfully” when they served 18 search warrants on Jan. 6, department spokesman Matt Reynolds said.
Nearly 200 officers from different law enforcement agencies jointly searched the homes and arrested seven suspects in connection with the shooting death of Judah Seelke. Seelke, 20, of Anaheim, was killed when alleged gang members mistook her for a rival and fired at her.
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