2 women hurt during L.A. manhunt to receive $4.2M

Michael Winter, USA TODAY | USATODAY

Los Angeles will pay two women $4.2 million for wounds suffered when police mistakenly shot up their truck during the February manhunt for former officer Christopher Dorner, who went on a revenge-fueled killing spree before dying in a Southern California mountain cabin.

Margie Carranza, 47, was shot twice in the back and her 71-year-old mother, Emma Hernandez, was cut by broken glass when seven LAPD officers fired at least 100 rounds into their blue Toyota Tacoma pickup as they delivered papers before dawn Feb. 7.

Earlier, two Riverside officers were ambushed in their police car, and authorities were hunting for Dorner and his gray Nissan Titan truck. Dorner was also connected to the slayings of a daughter of a former officer and her fiancée as they sat in their car.

The City Council must still sign off on the settlement, which is likely.

The settlement, which City Attorney Carmen Trutanich confirmed to KNBC-TV, is in addition to the $40,000 the city ended up paying for the loss of the truck.

Police Chief Charlie Beck, who called the shooting "a tragic misinterpretation" by officers working under "incredible tension," had promised a replacement truck from a donor. The women's attorney, Glen Jonas, said last month they could not work without a truck.

"This broken promise of a truck donation and the nonsense that followed is a slap in the face," he said.

The Los Angeles Times explained what happened:

Jonas said the women were first offered a used truck, then a non-four-wheel-drive Ford to replace their four-wheel-drive Toyota. The women also had to agree not to sell it for a year. His clients agreed to that truck, he said.

But then the dealership and LAPD officials said the truck would be considered a prize for tax purposes, Jonas said. "Essentially, they'd have to pay taxes like they won it on a game show." ...

LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said the department, working with a car dealership, was able to secure a new truck for the women and even covered the taxes and fees. But, he said, the dealership has advised that the vehicle must be legally declared for tax purposes. "We are trying to work it out," Smith said.

A week later, the city gave the women a check for $40,000.

The officers involved in the shooting, which also left holes in several homes, were assigned to desk duty while an internal investigation was conducted.

Dorner died Feb. 12 after a shootout and standoff around Big Bear Lake. Authorities said he killed himself after a tear gas canister started a fire in the cabin where he had holed up.

Last month, the city of Riverside and some private groups withdrew pledges for more than $1 million in reward money offered for Dorner's capture and conviction.

Two claims have been made: one by a couple who were held hostage by Dorner, the other by a man whose pickup Dorner stole at gunpoint.