Photographer Receives $437K Payout After Police Shot Him With Pepper Spray During Protest

A photographer will receive a $437,500 payout from the city of Denver, Colorado after police officers shot him in the face with pepper-ball spray during a George Floyd protest in 2020.

Photographer and freelance journalist Ambrose Cruz has settled his lawsuit with the city of Denver alleging that its police officers committed constitutional violations while responding to demonstrations.

Ambrose Cruz attended a protest relating to the murder of Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police officers on the evening of June 1, 2020 in Denver, Colorado as a photojournalist.

According to the Denver Post, Cruz attended the protests with the intention of shooting the demonstrations and the police response to it.

Cruz was taking photographs when law enforcement officers descended on protestors and fired tear gas and rubber projectiles at around 9pm in an attempt to enforce a curfew.

In his lawsuit, Cruz says he attempted to escape the tear gas by running up a stairwell in a nearby parking garage.

However, the Denver Post reports that the photographer was shot in the face repeatedly with pepper-ball spray at close range. Pepper-ball spray are small projectiles containing a chemical irritant similar to pepper spray.

After laying down and ostensibly surrendering to police, Cruz was further threatened with continued firing of pepper-ball spray. The photographer was reportedly left injured with a large bruise and swelling under his left eye.

The photographer was then arrested on charges of violating a curfew and failure to obey a lawful order. According to his lawsuit, he spent more than 12 hours in jail without medical attention.

While the charges against him were later dropped, Cruz has had ongoing problems with his eyesight, including light sensitivity.

Cruz filed a lawsuit against Denver in December 2021. This week, the city agreed to pay $437,500 to the photographer to settle the lawsuit.

The settlement comes a week after photographer Mark “Ted” Nieters received a $100,000 payout from the city of Des Moines, Iowa after he claimed a police officer tackled and arrested him during a George Floyd protest in the summer of 2020. Nieters settled the case he filed against Des Moines mid-trial.
 

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.