Oakland, 49ers fan settle suit over broken arm OAKLAND

The city of Oakland agreed Tuesday to pay $412,500 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by a San Francisco 49ers fan who said an Oakland police officer broke his arm during an Oakland Raiders game.

Raymond Castillo, 27, of Newark said he was attending an exhibition game between the 49ers and the Raiders at the Coliseum on Aug. 8, 2008. During the game, Raiders fans heckled and threw things at him and other 49ers fans sitting in the "Black Hole," an area known for having the rowdiest Raiders fans, according to the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

During the fourth quarter, a fight broke out two rows away from Castillo. Even though he wasn't involved, Officer Bryant Ocampo, an eight-year veteran, tackled him and forcefully bent his left arm behind his back while handcuffing him, the suit said. After protesting that he wasn't resisting, Ocampo and other officers continued to twist and push his elbow "into an unnatural position with extreme, unnecessary force, snapping plaintiff's elbow," the suit said.

Castillo was taken by paramedics to San Leandro Hospital. He was never charged with a crime, said the suit, which accused Oakland officers of singling out "people wearing 49ers jerseys and colors for arrest and use of force."

"It's very troubling that a young man who goes to watch a football game ends up with a severe elbow injury that causes him to lose a year of work," said Castillo's attorney, Michael Haddad. He said his client works as a plumber.