LA County to pay $14M over mistaken deputy shooting

Los Angeles County will pay $14.3 million to the family of a man who was shot to death by a sheriff’s deputy who mistook him for a gunman during a 2014 standoff.

An attorney for Frank Mendoza’s family announced Monday that the county has agreed to settle a negligence lawsuit.

Mendoza, a 54-year-old grandfather, was shot when he came out of his home in Pico Rivera after a wanted parolee and gang member, Cedric Ramirez, broke into the home and fired at deputies.

Ramirez hid in the house for eight hours with Mendoza’s wife as a hostage before deputies killed him.

In a statement, the Sheriff’s Department offered condolences to Mendoza’s family and said it’s always striving to improve how it handles life-and-death situations to prevent similar tragedies.