SALINAS, Calif. —The California Highway Patrol has agreed to pay $10 million to the mother of a man who was shot multiple times in 2019 by two CHP officers after reaching for a loaded gun, KTVU reported.
The shooting left the suspect paralyzed before his death in 2023.
A federal jury on May 28 awarded $9.2 million in damages to the family of Ari Gold after finding that CHP officers used excessive force, were negligent and committed assault. The jury assigned 20% of the blame to Gold. A final settlement was reached on June 24 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
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Gold’s mother, Liza Gold, filed the civil rights lawsuit in 2020, arguing the officers acted unreasonably despite her son’s drug use and involvement in a series of crimes that day. Gold had taken a relative’s firearm and fled to his grandmother’s home after stealing a vehicle and causing a hit-and-run while high on methamphetamine.
According to court testimony, CHP officers Christopher Weaver and Kristi Cho entered the home at the grandmother’s request. Inside, Cho discovered Gold in a locked bathroom. Officers said Gold reached for a loaded handgun, prompting Cho to fire. Weaver, hearing the shots and seeing Cho fall, fired 28 rounds through a wall. Gold was struck in the shoulder and spine, rendering him quadriplegic.
Attorneys for Gold argued that he never fired the weapon and may have tossed it before being shot. A Monterey County jury later convicted Gold of multiple offenses, including assault on a peace officer and DUI.
Gold died in January 2023, nearly four years after the shooting. His family’s lawsuit accused the officers of violating his constitutional rights, assault, battery and negligence.
The CHP previously offered no settlement during negotiations.
