From [HERE] The city of Albuquerque has settled a lawsuit with a man who claimed officers used excessive force that could have killed him. In 2015, Albuquerque Police Department officers were chasing Majestic Howard after catching him in a bait car.

The lawsuit states, that right before his arrest, Howard stopped running and sat with his hands up. He claims Officers Jonathan Franco kneed him in the head and didn’t mention it in his police report. “In the reports, they omitted the fact that they administered blows to Mr. Howard’s head, knowing that he had a head injury and that they could in fact kill him,” said Louren Oliveros, attorney. That head injury came from an incident a month earlier. A man suspected Howard of stealing his so he shot him in the head.

The city disclosed it paid Howard $42,500 in a settlement. After Howard’s arrest, the city did give Officer Franco a seven-day suspension. That happened a year later after the case made headlines. Right now, Howard is behind bars after being accused of driving into a house on Bridge Blvd. in a stolen car back in 2020 while out on probation in another case. Since he is behind bars, the settlements will be paid to a relative on his behalf.