Jury selection begins in lawsuit against LAPD
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jury selection is under way in a lawsuit filed by a woman whose baby daughter was killed during a shootout between the girl’s father and a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team.
Nineteen-month-old Suzie Pena was shot in the head and died in her father’s arms during the July 2005 standoff. Jose Raul Pena was armed and high on cocaine when he held her hostage at his used-car dealership in Watts.
Both died after SWAT members stormed the dealership office.
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Suzie’s mother, Lorena Lopez, filed suit against the LAPD in December 2005, alleging wrongful death and negligence.
A deputy city attorney says the SWAT officers were trying to save the child’s life.
The trial is expected to last about 20 days.
