Family of Los Angeles deputy killed in ambush shooting plans to sue county over forced overtime
LOS ANGELES — The parents of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was shot and killed while sitting in his patrol car plan to file a lawsuit accusing the sheriff’s department and county leaders of endangering law enforcement officers by making them work excessive overtime due to serious understaffing, a lawyer announced on Tuesday.
Investigators said Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, 30, was ambushed on September 16 while waiting at a traffic light in Palmdale, a city of more than 167,000 in the high desert of northern LA County.
Clinkunbroomer had worked 69 hours of overtime in the two weeks leading up to the shooting and worked a double shift the day before, said attorney Brad Gage, who represents Clinkunbroomer’s parents. The deputy was so exhausted from being overworked that his senses were dulled and he missed “the telltale signs” of an impending ambush, Gage said.
Prosecutors have charged 29-year-old Kevin Cataneo Salazar with one count of murder, plus special circumstances charges including murder of a peace officer, murder committed by lying in wait, murder committed by shooting from a car and personal use of a firearm. Cataneo Salazar has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Gage said in a government claim filed Monday that Clinkunbroomer was forced to work more than 100 hours of overtime each month. Gage accuses Sheriff Robert Luna, department officials and county leaders of knowingly endangering the lives of law enforcement officers by enforcing excessive amounts of mandatory overtime.
The claim is the precursor to a wrongful death lawsuit and names the county sheriff’s department and the Board of Supervisors. County officials have 45 days to respond to the claim before a lawsuit can be filed.
Gage said the lawsuit would seek $20 million in damages and changes to the sheriff’s department’s staffing and scheduling policies.
In a statement Tuesday, the sheriff’s department did not comment on the potential lawsuit. Luna, who was sworn in as sheriff a year ago, has previously pledged to make increasing the number of sworn deputies a priority.
“The senseless ambush murder of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer was the height of evil and the Department continues to mourn his death. “We have lost a valued member of our department family who was committed to serving our communities,” the statement said. “The Sheriff’s Department remains committed to successfully prosecuting the person responsible for Ryan’s murder. Our thoughts remain with the entire Clinkunbroomer family.”
Law enforcement officers and members of the public are at risk because “fatigue resulting from these demanding work schedules hinders officers’ ability to remain alert and respond effectively during their duties,” the claim says.
“Sheriff Luna and the Board of Supervisors were aware of the dangers to their employees resulting from deliberately enforcing overtime, but deliberately carried out such actions with conscious disregard for the rights and safety of deputies,” Gage wrote in the claim .
The Board of Supervisors did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the allegations.
“Everyone wants to work a little overtime to make some extra money, but they don’t want to work so much overtime that they can no longer provide for themselves and others,” said Gage, the family’s attorney.
The head of the deputies’ union said limited staffing is an ongoing problem, but did not respond to specific questions about the average overtime worked by deputies.
“The department’s staffing crisis is pushing our deputies to their limits, and unfortunately sometimes beyond them. We need our elected officials to take a more aggressive and intelligent approach to addressing the department’s inability to recruit and retain qualified people,” said a statement from Rich Pippin, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs. result in more tragic outcomes, not only for our deputy sheriffs, but for the millions of people who rely on them for protection.”
Prosecutors have not outlined a motive in the criminal case or said whether Clinkunbroomer and Cataneo Salazar previously knew each other.
Authorities said the deputy was “targeted” but would not say whether Cataneo Salazar specifically intended to harm Clinkunbroomer or any member of law enforcement in general.
Cataneo Salazar allegedly followed Clinkunbroomer as he left the sheriff’s Palmdale Station just before 6 p.m., the district attorney’s office said in a September news release.
The deputy was “waiting for the red light to go out” when he was shot, Luna said at the time.
Cataneo Salazar was arrested after an hours-long standoff with deputies. He had barricaded himself in his family’s home in Palmdale.
His mother, Marle Salazar, told the Los Angeles Times that her son was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic about five years ago. He said he heard voices in his head, she said, and sometimes claimed that cars or people were following him. He has attempted suicide twice and has been hospitalized at least once, she said.