SAN JOSE - Emanuel Trujillo filed a federal complaint on August 20 in the Northern District of California against the City of Santa Cruz for excessive force and unlawful detention/arrest.
According to the complaint, on April 20, 2021, at around 7:30 p.m., Trujillo was with his girlfriend and another friend as he received a call that his home was currently being burglarized.
Trujillo immediately headed to his home and pulled his vehicle into his driveway and soon after, the suspect who was burglarizing Trujillo’s home came outside, the suit says. Trujillo and his friend exited the vehicle and confronted the suspect.
The suspect proceeded to throw a bottle at Trujillo and fled, he says. Trujillo pursued the suspect and the friend called 911; Trujillo cornered the suspect at the end of a garage connected to an unknown condo.
Officers from the City and/or County of Santa Cruz quickly arrived to apprehend the suspect, the suit says. While Trujillo was simply standing aside watching, a yet-to-be-identified Santa Cruz police officer allegedly directed a K-9 on Trujillo and it attacked him. Trujillo was then arrested and placed into the back of a police car, the suit says. A police sergeant arrived on scene and told the other officers that Trujillo was not the suspect and to release him.
Trujillo seeks general, special and punitive damages, attorney's fees and cost of suit. Trujillo is represented by Patrick Buelna.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California case number 5:21-cv-06477-NC