Lawsuit Alleges California Cops Used Excessive Force on Teens for Walking Through a Neighborhood

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing a California police department for using excessive force to arrest a teenager who walked through a residential neighborhood while on his way to get prom tickets.

A lawsuit states that the interaction between then-high school student Pablo Simental Jr. and officers with the Delano Police Department (DPD) occurred on April 11, 2019. Simental and three of his friends were walking to Wonderful College Prep Academy to get prom tickets. The trip took them through a residential neighborhood.

While in the neighborhood, the suit alleges that DPD officers, including Ruben Ozuna, Michael Strand,